


His Army

by quietpastelcolours



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Dubious Consent, F/M, I just want to make it clear - this is Zelgan but Ganondorf is not the rapist, Manipulation, NSFW, Pregnancy, Smut, TW for gang rape and abuse, Threats of Violence, actual graphic violence towards the rapists, beheadings, graphic violence in general actually, includes peril scene, invasion of a kingdom, multiple scenes of torture, preparing to raise a child in very mistrustful circumstances, this is going to be a fairly manipulative kind of thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-05-23 21:50:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 52,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6131269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietpastelcolours/pseuds/quietpastelcolours
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Princess Zelda is ousted from her throne and is in hiding, believed by all to have died of illness when instead she escaped her attempted assassination, she knows the only person who can help her... is her mortal enemy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Impressions

The carriage jerked to a stop beneath her, and Zelda looked up, apprehension churning in the pit of her stomach. Through the rough wooden slats that served as windows, she could see a vast campsite stretching along the edge of the Hylian border. A small, oily looking man with terrible teeth swung the door of the carriage open, and all the occupants turned to look at him, Zelda included.

“Well? how are my lovely whores doing?” He asked, to tittering laughter, while Zelda swallowed her revulsion. How could these women, ladies of night as they were, not object to being referred to by such derogatory names? How had she, a princess, ended up in a prostitute’s caravan, of all places? The tale was almost too ludicrous to be believed.

“We’re fine, Erlo, thanks to your _kind_ hospitality.” Simpered a woman in a stained silk dress. The women clambered out, and Zelda followed last, watching the goings on around her with a wary eye.

Erlo, the slimy little creature, bounded up to her. “And how is my pretty? Was the ride to your taste?”

Zelda stifled a frown. “It was, thank you.” She said calmly instead, and the other women smirked.

“But you’re quite beautiful, lovie.” Said one in a magenta scarf. “Where you from? You’re not Ordonian.” Suspicion rose into the faces of the other seven women, and the stepped forwards themselves.

“Yeah, you’re right! She ain’t Ordonian. Look how slender she is!”

Slender! Look at her face! She’s fine boned – a pretty thing, that’s for sure.”

“Are ye Hylian, missy?” Asked one in a purple skirt. “Only, ye look vaguely familiar…”

“Yes, I’m Hylian.” Said Zelda quickly. Eight curious prostitutes stared at her.

“What’s an ‘Ilian doing here?” Asked magenta, and Zelda shrugged uncomfortably.

“There _are_ Hylian pros-”

“You ein’t a prostitute, honey.” Purple interrupted. “Look at yer hands, yer face, yer clothes… yer a lady. A _Hylian_ lady.”

A small silence followed this proclamation, before Yellow Hat reached out and snagged Erlo as he passed. From what Zelda understood, he was the manager of the prostitutes during their monthly trip to the campsite. A shiver ran over her skin – what if she didn’t achieve her goal? Would she be passed off to a random soldier to be used? Revulsion churned within her.

“Erlo.” Began Yellow Hat conversationally. “This here is no whore. She a lady. A _Hylian_ lady. Where’d you find her? You know the King gets mad when the women come against their will.”

“She was willing!” Erlo protested, but then beady eyes turned to run over her. “‘ _Ilian_ , you say?”

“Yeah.” Said Magenta. “She ein’t Ordonian, that for sure.”

Erlo stepped a little closer. “What’s an ‘Ilian lady doing signing up for the whore’s excursion to the camps?”

Zelda lifted her chin and lied through her teeth. “If you must know, I’ve recently come down on my luck. I’ve no close relatives, my father squandered the family fortune and ran off, and I’ve got nothing, no way to earn my keep. If I don’t want to starve…”

“You have to do something.” Finished Erlo solemnly. “Poor child. But wait- ‘Ilian’s proper marry their women off faster than we do in Ordon. Are you married?”

Zelda shook her head. “No. If I was, I wouldn’t be here.”

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t.”

“The way she speaks!” whispered Blue Feather. “She’s old money, for sure.”

“Not anymore.” Said Zelda with a brittle smile. There was a vaguely awkward silence.

“Why don’t you come with us, duckie?” Said one of the older women. “We’ll look after you.”

She managed a grateful smile. “Thank you. I’d very much appreciate it.”

Zelda found herself being led into a roughly constructed timber hut filled with low benches and dirt floors. _A far cry from the castle,_ she thought mournfully. The older woman, who wasn’t really old at all, Zelda reflected, turned out to be named Orla. A woman in her forties, Orla was experienced and no nonsense, and was the self-appointed mother hen of the group.

“Soup is served over there, duckie.” She said, pointing. “Come on, it’s midday, we’ll all get some.”

The eight women made nine sat down at a bench together, ignoring the steady comings and goings of the other prostitutes – many caravans had arrived to drop off their cargo and return for more – Zelda supposed it was unfair to ask a small number of women to service an entire campsite.

She wrinkled her nose as she poked at her soup – it was thin and she couldn’t identify the meat – but it was the first halfway decent meal she’d had in a few weeks, so she ate it without much complaint. The other women ate in silence, slurping their soup appreciatively.

“So.” Magenta began – her name was in fact Ria. “What’s a pretty thing like ye doing here? Even if yer hit rock bottom, yer could have gone into service and prevented this. I can see the distaste in yer eyes – ye don’t like it here.”

Zelda looked at her bowl and tried to come up with a plausible lie. “I couldn’t go into service. What would I do, become a maid in the houses of those I once entertained as my own equal? I would be a disgrace.”

“But what ‘appens when a Lord of yer acquaintance visits a brothel and finds ye? Surely a bit a cleaning is preferable to bein’ bedded by a man ye once dined with.”

Zelda pretended to start. “Oh.” She said, making her voice anxious. “I didn’t think of that. Do - do you think it will happen?”

Ria nodded sagely. “Oh, yes. All the Lords visit brothels – even the married ones.”

She pretended to be distressed, but all the while she was attempting to work out how she was going to do this. Zelda had made it into the camp, but how would she find the person she sought? It was entirely possible that this was a terrible idea, but she had no alternatives.

“Oh dear.” Zelda continued. “This is not at all how I’d pictured my first time.”

That was certainly true. There was a silence.

“You mean to say – you’re a virgin?” Yellow Hat – Marjory – said, her voice hushed.

Zelda blushed and looked down. “I – I am, yes.” She peeked up again, trying to conceal her smile. Apparently, she was a decent actress. “Is that a bad thing? I mean, obviously-”

Orla held up a hand. “Hush, duckie. A _virgin_.” She twisted around and waved frantically at Erlo. Zelda felt a sinking feeling in her stomach – what if they threw her out for not being experienced? Maybe she shouldn’t have said that.

Erlo bounced up. “Is there a problem, ladies?”

“Erlo! She’s a virgin.”

Erlo’s mouth fell open. “The ‘Ilian beauty’s a virgin?” He said, amazed. “Rubbish. She’s too lovely. Someone would ‘ave taken her long ago. What was your name?”

Zelda made herself blush furiously. “Alaria. And, no, I am a virgin. Purity is the highest virtue at Court, I’m afraid.”

“But… but this is wonderful!” Erlo said ecstatically. “Why, that face, that figure, ‘Ilian and a virgin to boot, I’ll get a high price for her!” He rubbed his hands together.

“No Erlo!” Said Ria, a gleam in her eyes. “Don’t sell ‘er. Give ‘er to ‘imself.”

Erlo turned beady eyes to the woman. “Himself?” He asked sceptically.

“Aye. ‘E likes virgins, rare as they are here, and if you told ‘im ye got a beautiful ‘Ilian one, wouldn’t that put ye in ‘is good books?”

Erlo stroked his chin, contemplating it. “You’re right, Ria. You’re right. But, he’s got his women that he likes.”

“So speak with ‘im. Tell ‘im how lovely she is – make yer case. Look at ‘er! ‘magine what ‘e’d do to ye if ‘e saw ‘er after and realised ‘e didn’t get to pluck the fruit?”

Nodding, Erlo thumped his fist into his hand. “You’re right. I’ll speak to ‘im right this minute.”

Zelda was of course, completely lost. “Wait! Who’s ‘himself’?”

“Why, the King, of course.” Said Orla comfortably. “Ganondorf Dragmire.”

* * *

 

Water streamed from his face as he straightened, and Ganondorf picked up his towel, wiping his skin clean of moisture just as a knock sounded at his door. With an irritated grumble, he slung the towel around his neck.  
“Enter.” He barked, and the door opened to reveal Erlo, his purveyor of prostitutes. Ganondorf raised a brow.

“What do you want?” He asked, ignoring the little man in favour of reaching for his razor.

“Yer Majesty.” Erlo bowed deeply. “As you know, the women arrived today.”

“And?” He grunted, occupied with mixing up his shaving soap. “Is there a problem?”

“On the contrary, Sire. Your usual women are ‘ere, as planned, but… I ‘ave another girl for you to consider.”

Ganondorf raised a brow at his reflection in the mirror, beginning to lather the soap over his jaw. “Oh? Why would I consider another?”

“She’s a virgin, Sire.” Erlo said smoothly.

_Hmm_.

“She’s not just saying that?”

“No, I believe ‘er.” Erlo paused here. “She’s ‘Ilian.”

Ganondorf set down his razor and turned to face the little man, who shivered and took a step back from the direct eye contact. “Hylian?”

“Yes, and she’s quite the beauty. Young too – madam Orla’s taken ‘er under ‘er wing. ‘Er name is Alaria, and she ‘ails from Castle Town itself. She’s a lady – been to court and everything.”

_Well_. Ganondorf turned back to his washbasin and continued shaving. “What’s she doing here?”

“Down on ‘er luck, apparently. Her father squandered the family fortune and ‘er mother’s dead. Father’s run off to escape the debt, and the poor girl’s got nothing. Didn’t want to enter service and be a maid for people she once dined with, so ‘ere she is.” Erlo clasped his hands behind his back. “‘Ad a long talk with ‘er, me and the other women. They been teaching ‘er techniques and such like – I never saw wider eyes in me life!” He chuckled slightly.

Ganondorf grunted at his reflection. “What’s she look like?”

“She’s lovely, Sire.” Sighed the slimly little man, appreciation clear in his tone. Ganondorf was surprised he wasn’t panting. “Tall and slim, though ‘er body’s all woman, long blonde hair, blue eyes. Fine features and clear skin as to ‘ave ‘alf the women falling over ‘er in envy. Not a spot or blemish in sight.”

“Mmm.” Ganondorf furrowed his brow. “Age?”

“She’s twenty.”

“Still a virgin?”

Erlo comprehended his line of questioning. “Aye, she was saving ‘erself for marriage, you know how ‘Ilian’s do. ‘Er father dashing off has thrown something of a spanner in the works.”

“I see.” Ganondorf set down the razor and examined the sharp edges of his beard carefully. Satisfied with his appearance, he washed off the remainder of the soap.

“She looks like a rabbit what’s being hunted by a fox most of the time.” Chuckled Erlo. “Doesn’t quite know how she went from dancing with Lords to sitting in a shack with whores.”

His lips twitched up in amusement as he wiped his face clean. “You think she’ll be any good?”

“I think so, Sire. She’s pretty much resigned ‘erself to being ‘ere, so I don’t think she’ll fight.”

Hmm. A lovely blonde piece, innocent in the ways of the world? His curiosity was piqued.

“I was going to sell ‘er, Sire, to the highest bidder amongst the officers; she’s already gained quite a bit of interest from the generals and such like what have come to inspect the women, but I thought I’d see if you were at all interested in ‘er first.”

The greasy man paused, and Ganondorf knew he was leading up to his trump card. “The best part, Majesty? She’s clean. Spotless. Bathes regular like. Didn’t even get dusty on the trip up. Smells fresh as a daisy.”

Ganondorf nodded to himself slightly. Clean women were always preferred – most prostitutes found it hard to bathe on a regular basis. Perhaps it was time for a change of pace from his usual women – and virgins were always fun.

“Bring her at eight.” He said shortly, reaching for his bottle of hair oil.

Erlo bowed deeply. “Of course, yer Majesty. It will be done.”

With that, the little man scarpered out the door.

* * *

 

Zelda chewed her lip anxiously as Erlo and a burly guard escorted her through the camp. She’d spent hours being lectured on how to be a lady of the night, and her head swam with depictions of sexual acts she’d never have dreamed existed.

“Make sure you don’t move too quickly.” Erlo was saying, busy telling her how to behave in the King’s presence. “‘E moves… slowly…” Erlo paused to shudder slightly. “But ‘e strikes like lightening, and ‘e’s always on his guard. Some believe its paranoia, that ‘is mind is touched, but I’m not sure. What I do know, is if you startle ‘im, you won’t like it.”

All if these edicts seemed to be along the lines of ‘don’t do this, he won’t like it’ and ‘if he doesn’t like it, you _definitely_ won’t like it’.

“What about… the actual…. you know?” Asked Zelda. She had no intention of sleeping with the Demon King, of course, but Erlo didn’t need to know that. Her cover was as the confused virgin-turned-prostitute, and she needed to keep up her act.

“Ah.” Erlo nodded. “Let the King direct you.” The little man paused. “‘Earing his usual women talk; ‘e likes to be in charge, so don’t say or do anything that might be taken as impertinence.”

Zelda nodded. “Okay. What do I do when I’m inside? Will he be waiting?”

Erlo shrugged. “I can’t help you there, my dear. If ‘e is, follow ‘is directions. If ‘e’s not, find a chair or the bed and sit down. I don’t think ‘e’d keep you waiting long.”

The burly guard stopped then, and Erlo did too, standing before a massive building that seemed to be half house, half tent. Zelda could see where the building was constructed of solid timber, and yet, large swathes of canvas extended; to create separate rooms, she realised.

Erlo took her hand. “Good luck, my dear.’ He said seriously.

With that, the burly guard knocked. They all waited for long moments, but as no reply came, the guard pushed open the door.

“‘E’s not there yet. Go in, Alaria, but don’t make yourself _too_ at home. ‘E mightn’t take kindly to that.”

Zelda nodded, now not needing to fake her nerves, and attempted a wan smile.

“Thank you.” She whispered, then stepped into Ganondorf Dragmire’s quarters. The door shut behind her, blotting out the torchlight, and for a moment she had to stand still and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Slowly, she began to take in her location. She stood the timber section of the building, and the only source of light was a dim glow emanating from around the corner. She was in a small nook, and so she took a deep breath and rounded the corner, wondering if the Demon King would be there to greet her. He was not, so she set herself to examining her surroundings carefully, noting her exits and trying to determine what kind of man he was from his belongings.

The room possessed high ceilings and was quite large, yet felt small due to the smoky gloom – the only lighting was a small fire set against one wall. Set into a recession in the wall was an absolutely enormous bed – Zelda almost blushed to see it, knowing what Ganondorf intended to do with her. Vast swaths of silk hung from the ceiling in curious patterns, sometimes falling as curtains, sometimes meant only as decoration, to cover the walls and ceiling in a billowy fashion that made the room seem smaller over again.

His furniture too was large, and she skimmed a hand over the back of a massive wooden armchair, covered with a brightly wrought blanket. She could see a washbasin set against one wall, and on it rested a cutthroat razor. She noted this with interest; Zelda doubted she’d get anywhere with him if it turned physical, but if she could get to the razor she at least had some small chance of defending herself. A dining table to seat two and scattered round tables holding various small items completed the inventory, and then, a furrow in her brow, she went and stood before the bed, unconsciously biting her gloved finger as she stared at it.

Ganondorf entered his living chamber and pulled up short at the sight of the woman standing there. Her back was to him, and he could tell she didn’t know he was there, so he took the opportunity to appraise her.

Erlo had been right – she was slender yet well rounded in the most important places, her long golden hair unbound, glistening in the firelight and rippling with her slightest movement. _Yes_ , he thought. _I’ll enjoy this one._ From this angle, he could see her face in the mirror on the wall, and could see the consternation and worry on her features as she stared at the bed – he could guess her feelings. Moving silently across the room, Ganondorf almost grinned as he settled a hand on her shoulder and she jumped violently, spinning around and nearly tripping with a petrified yelp in her throat.

Her wide eyes widened further as she took him in, and the girl – Alaria, wasn’t it? – took a step back as she registered his bare chest. He felt his lips twitch up into a slight grin at the look on her face, and then he picked her up. The girl froze, breathing hard.

“W- what are you doing?” She quavered.

“What do you think?” He asked matter-of-factly, setting her on the bed and climbing on himself, taking her gloved hands in his left one and pulling them above her head so he could examine her. Alaria had frozen, wide-eyed, but now she came back to life.

“Wait!” She gasped out. “I don’t-”

“Don’t worry.” He breathed against her neck, making her tense again. Ganondorf roamed with teeth and tongue down her throat and to her collarbone, listening to the way her breathing hitched as he explored her skin. _Erlo was right,_ he thought absently. _Her skin is flawless… and sweeter than honey_. Her fingers twitched within his, and she gasped as he bit her lightly. He was just barely conscious of her attempting to get her words out, and he ignored them, taking them for the worried hesitation of an anxious virgin, and then his free hand came up to grasp her breast lightly, shifting her corset down. He palmed the firm weight greedily, finding her nipple and was teasing it into a hard peak beneath her clothing when he registered her words, and the way she was really trying to free her hands.

“No! – no, wait, _stop!”_

Alaria almost shrieked the last word, and Ganondorf pulled back, resting on his elbow and staring at her in confusion.

“What?” He asked, brow furrowed, and then suspicion hit him. “Erlo didn’t force you here, did he?” _Bastard_. He’d abducted women before, and Ganondorf had been under the impression that he’d stopped that, for fear of losing his hands.

“No!” She cried, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I came here of my own will.”

Ganondorf was… confused. “So… what’s the problem?” He asked irritably, pulling at the bow over her breasts. Alaria attempted to push his hands away and squirm further up the bed at the same time.

“I came here to talk to you, not sleep with you.” Pink tinged her cheeks, and after a second, his brows snapped together and he lurched forwards, the dagger he kept under his pillow in hand and pressed against her throat.

“Who are you?” Ganondorf hissed, trying to keep an eye on her and scan the room for any other intruders at the same time.

“My name is…” The girl sighed. “It’ll be easier to just show you.”  
Slowly, cautiously, she raised her hands, and to his confusion, began to remove her gloves. As the right glove slowly began to be peeled away, his suspicion awoke. _No… it couldn’t be…_

The glove came off, and he blinked at the Triforce of Wisdom.

Zelda bit her lip as the Demon King above her stared at her piece of the Triforce. He seemed to have forgotten everything else, including the knife at her throat, and she wasn’t about to remind him.

Slowly, flashing golden eyes lifted to meet hers, and they narrowed dangerously.

“You have got precisely three seconds to tell me what you’re doing here and why I shouldn’t kill you.” He spat, digging the dagger in a little deeper.

“I’m already dead, so I suppose it almost wouldn’t matter if you did.” She gasped out.

Ganondorf frowned harder, then sat up, keeping the dagger in her line of sight. “That’s right.” He said slowly as she sat up captiously. “You _are_ dead.” His eyes narrowed. “You died of an illness weeks ago. How are you here?”

Zelda sighed slightly. “It’s kind of a long story. My uncle; the power has gone to his head and he ordered his guards to murder me. I escaped, and he has faked my death to keep the throne.” She lifted her head and stared resolutely into his eyes. “I’m here because I need your help.”

There was a very cold silence.


	2. A Surprising Proposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda tells Ganondorf why she has come to him for help.

Ganondorf laughed once, a harsh, dark sound. “Now tell me exactly why you think I would help the likes of you? In fact, tell me why exactly you thought sneaking in here as a _prostitute_ was a good idea?” He looked irritated. “You’ve robbed me of one of my few nights with a woman.”

Zelda swallowed. “I’m sorry – I just – I needed to get here, and this seemed like the easiest way.”

“Hmph. Just what kind of help do you require?” Ganondorf looked a tiny bit curious under his anger, and Zelda thought furiously, attempting to figure out which would be the best way to fan that small ember of inquisitiveness into an inferno.

“Like I said, it’s a very long story.” Zelda sighed again. “My father died two years ago.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“As I was only nineteen, I couldn’t take the throne until I came of age at twenty one, so my uncle Tiber took the throne as regent.” Zelda tucked her knees up and rested her chin on them. “Uncle Tiber… he’s always resented that he was the younger brother – always a prince and never a King. He hoped that someday he’d be his brother’s heir, but then I was born - as the Bearer of Wisdom, my place as heir was cemented, and my uncle would never be King. I think… he resigned himself to that, but when he became regent… the power has gone to his head. The closer we draw to my twenty first birthday, the more he has realised he doesn’t want to give it up.” Zelda eyed Ganondorf for a moment, who was frowning. “Uncle Tiber ordered my assassination, but like I said before, I escaped.”

He was silent for a moment. “I’ve always thought that the Zelda’s are more devious than people give them credit for. You’re serious, aren’t you? You really want my _help._ ” Ganondorf’s tone turned ugly as he leaned in. “Yet you’ve always been a good actress. Where’s your little hero?”

Zelda shook her head. This was quite a risky move, telling him this… but she did want him to believe her sincerity. “I don’t know where the hero is.” She whispered. “I haven’t seen Link in years, and no one will tell me where he went. To tell the truth, I thought you might have had something to do with it.”

He frowned. “I did not, sadly. I believed him to be cosily ensconced in the castle.”

“I wonder where he is.”

He frowned then. “One might wonder why you are telling me this.” His voice turned silky and dangerous. “If the hero truly is gone, I could kill you right now and no one would be able to retaliate. Wisdom would be mine.”

“It would.” Zelda sighed. “I have no means of protection apart from the hope I can appeal to your…” She shrugged. “Interests? Mercy? I’m not sure.”

Ganondorf snorted. “ _Mercy_.” His voice turned low, and she wasn’t entirely sure he was actually speaking to her. “As if I would show mercy to _Wisdom_.”

Zelda bit her lip as the Demon King stared into the distance for a few long moments, evidently deliberating his next move.

Ganondorf stared at the young woman sitting across from him. So this was the Princess Zelda of this life. _Interesting_. Common sense told him to kill her instantly, to take her piece of the Triforce for his own and move into Hyrule unmolested (which would be an even easier task were she serious about the Hero’s disappearance.) But… there was a reason she had come to _him_ , of all people, for help, and Goddesses damn him, he wanted to know what it was. A flicker of suspicion washed through him, and he frowned as he cast a wary glance about the room. He doubted this was a ploy, a way to distract him in time for the hero to arrive unseen, but you couldn’t be _too_ sure. Zelda, in all her lifetimes, was a devious person.

Decided, he scooped her up, ignoring her shocked squeak as he slid from the bed and carried her across the room; he wanted her where he could see her at all times. On the way, Ganondorf eyed her carefully – now he knew who she was, a thorough examination of her was required. She was small and slender, as most of the Zelda’s tended to be, her eyes still blue, and her hair, having darkened for several lifetimes, was back to being bright vivid gold. _Interesting_. It had been a while since a Zelda had been thrown in his path, and now this was happening under the most curious circumstances…

“My apologies, Princess.” He said casually, conscious of her curious and suspicious glance as he avoided looking at her. Ganondorf set her down on one of his armchairs, and continued across to his liquor stand. “I’m being terribly ungentlemanly, I know.” He paused to shoot her a sardonic smile as he pulled the stopper free from a crystal decanter and poured a generous amount into two glasses. “Though that’s not entirely my fault, is it? Brandy?”

Zelda looked up at him warily, then accepted the drink. “Thank you.” She said quietly. “And… yes. I suppose you have been far more civilised than I expected.”

Ganondorf almost choked on his drink as he sat down across from her. _Civilised_? Just who did she think she was, coming here and then insulting him? Did she not realise he could kill her at any moment, that he _wanted_ to kill her, that it was only because of his curiosity and confusion that she was still alive?

“Thank you for that.” She continued, seemingly unaware of his internal dilemma. Though… she was Wisdom. Zelda couldn’t be ignorant of the risks she’d taken in coming here. Yet… here she was, for… _something_.

“Why are you here, Princess?” He asked, staring into the depths of his brandy for a moment.

Zelda was quiet, and he watched her expectantly as she sorted out her thoughts.

“Well…” She said slowly. “It’s like I said. I need your help.”

“And why exactly would I help you?” He asked his drink, frowning at it. Had Wisdom actually lost her mind? What was she on about?

His gaze flicked up to meet hers as she squared her shoulders.

“Because I can give you what you want.”

Now _this_ was promising.

Zelda swallowed as Ganondorf’s gaze turned intense, roaming over her with curiosity burning in their golden depths. Something told her that it was this curiosity that was keeping her alive; she had to appeal to his interests.

“Oh?” He asked, leaning back slightly and taking a sip of his drink.

Her train of thought scattered as she watched Ganondorf lounge back in his chair with feline grace. Zelda chewed her lip as she watched him watch her; she’d heard the stories, the whisperings of just how huge he was – she’d expected him to be a great brute of a man, in personality as well as size. She’d expected him, to tell the truth, to be loud, savage, and physical. Ganondorf continually surprised her; he was, in fact, quite the opposite. He was enormous, that much was true, but he seemed to be softly spoken, his curiously accented voice that of a man who could strike fear into one’s soul without raising his voice; he commanded respect, rather than demanded it. His controlled, measured movements were not those of a brash and violent man who lived and acted without thinking things through; these were the motions, the appearance, the piercing golden eyes of a tactician who watched her keenly. _A pity,_ she thought idly. _He’d have been so much easier to handle were he an uncivilised brute._

“And what are you thinking now?” He inquired, and startled, Zelda raised her gaze from his bare chest. She blushed; she hadn’t actually realised she’d let her eyes slip from his. She decided to be honest; perhaps she’d appeal to his vanity, if he had any. She supposed she’d find out.

“I was thinking how different you are from the picture people paint of you.” Zelda began, and Ganondorf raised a brow.

“Oh?”

“Yes. You… when I came here, I expected to find a vulgar, boorish man who delights in violence and barbaric behaviour. Instead, I find you to be… rather unpolished, by court standards, yet you don’t carry yourself like a man who cares only for savagery.” Zelda swallowed at the narrowing of his eyes. “You didn’t kill me immediately; you’re listening to me, and considering our history, I am grateful. That shows you’re not so inhuman as people say.”

His eyes glittered. “First she insults me, then she compliments me, and yet she’s asked for my help. You’re dithering, Princess, and if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s people who cannot get to the _point_.”

Zelda knew a hint when she saw one. There was an edge of boredom to his words, and she stiffened. It was now or never.

“I _am_ in trouble, you know that much, and you know I’ve asked for your help. I’m not stupid; I know you’d need some sort of incentive before you even thought about considering it, so… I have a proposition for you.”

She cast a glance around the room, searching for exits as Ganondorf raised a sardonic brow.

“One can only assume it is a different one to how I originally pictured my evening as.” These drawled words were accompanied by a sarcastic glance at his bed.

Zelda shrugged rather uncomfortably. “Well, as it happens…” She attempted to disguise the awkwardness with a long draught of her liquor.

Ganondorf didn’t move, didn’t speak for a long moment. He simply sat and watched, and then he straightened, and she felt rather like all the air had been sucked from the room.

“You have my attention.” He said darkly, with another sip of his drink. “Surely you’re not proposing to warm my bed after all.”

“Nothing quite so lewd, I’m afraid.” Zelda said primly. “I just…” She bit her lip, nerves getting the better of her. She stood up and looked at the wall instead, doing her best to ignore the man seated before her.

Ganondorf sipped his drink slowly, watching as Zelda stared at the wall, mumbling things under her breath. Truly, she looked quite distressed. He turned a few ideas over in his mind. She was supposed to be dead, was she not? Following the news of her death, he’d rejoiced, for it meant less opposition when his armies marched on Hyrule. Now, she was here, magically appearing in his bed, of all places. Why wasn’t Zelda dead? If not by the illness that was claimed to have taken her, why not by his hand? He ought to have strangled her the moment he realised who she was, and yet, he was listening to her. _Listening!_ Ganondorf frowned. His blasted curiosity; he’d let her speak too long, and now he wanted to hear the rest of it.

“This was in all probability a terrible idea.” Agonised blue eyes met his, and he frowned.

“I’m not sure I don’t disagree.” Taking another sip, Ganondorf raised a brow. “On which point are you talking in particular?”

She pressed a hand to her forehead. “What was I thinking?” She cried, more to herself than to him. “You’ll never agree, I must be mad.”

Ganondorf scowled. “Stop with all these damned riddles and come out with whatever you’re trying to say.”

That seemed to bolster her, and she turned and sat down once more, looking composed.

“I’m here because I want you to marry me.”

Ganondorf wasn’t actually sure how much time had passed. He became conscious of his mouth hanging open, and shut it with a snap. Zelda had completely thrown him for a loop, and from the tiny smile twitching at her lips, she knew it.

“What.” He stated flatly, wondering if he was the one going mad. There was no way _Zelda_ would want to marry _him_.

“I’ve asked you to marry me.” That grin twitched a fraction bigger.

“Why?” He asked warily, swirling his drink and eyeing it with a frown. Something told him he’d end up downing the entire decanter before this conversation was over.

Zelda smiled, all cool composed elegance. “I should think it very simple. You want Hyrule.” Ganondorf frowned as she twined a lock of golden hair around her finger. How on earth had she gained control of the conversation? “I can give it to you. With your armies, and my knowledge of the castle and the Hylian military, and of my uncle, we could take Hyrule back.”

 _We_? _This all sounds very chummy_ , he thought bitterly. “And then? Let us imagine for a second that I did agree, and we did…” He waved a hand in the air at the utter ridiculousness of the situation. “…liberate Hyrule from your uncle. _Together_.” His mouth twisted in distaste at the word. “What happens once you are Queen again? Will _your_ armies force me from the castle?”

Zelda straightened, her face serious. “No. If we were to wed, then it would give you a legitimate claim to the throne by my blood, not just by your conquest. I consider myself an honourable person; I would not go back on my word.” She blushed, though he could tell she was trying very hard to supress it. “Besides… I… could not go to another man afterwards. It would be unseemly for a Queen to remarry; either I remain married to the first man I wed, or I become a widow, and considering I don’t know where the hero is, I suspect the former will be the reality, not the latter.”

Ganondorf watched her carefully, trying to recognise any signs of deceit; there were none, as far as he could tell. He wondered which part of her statement to lead with first. “Afterwards?” He raised a brow. So she expected that they would marry, and from her words, that he would bed her. Ganondorf considered his feelings on the subject. She was an attractive woman – responsive too, he knew from their brief entanglement on his bed. He thought of the feel of her body beneath his and felt a twinge of irritation that his pretty Alaria, the woman who was supposed to be an uncomplicated fuck, had morphed into the bloody Princess of Hyrule, for Din’s sake. It was just his luck. It certainly wouldn’t be a hardship to bed her, he mused, but _marriage?_ To share Hyrule? That was an altogether different question. “So you expect that I will bed you.”

Zelda bypassed red and headed to maroon. “Yes.” She looked down as she fidgeted with the silk covers on her chair.

“So this is your proposition.” Ganondorf leaned back and appraised her thoughtfully. “That in marrying you, I use my armies to remove your uncle from the throne and put you back on it, and in doing so I gain Hyrule for myself and become the King.” He paused. “Or rather, I gain it for both of us. You expect me to _share_.”

“Of course.” She was composed again, perfect and serene. “I will always have a hand in the fate of my people. That’s what’s driven me to this ridiculous plan in the first place.” Zelda straightened and looked him in the eye. “I want my throne, my birthright, my people.” She said firmly. “If forming an alliance with you will give me those things, then I am willing to do it.”

Ganondorf nodded, considering things. “And if you decide a Gerudo husband is not to your taste?”

She shrugged uncomfortably. “Look, I know that part won’t be… pleasant, but surely the castle, the _Kingdom_ is large enough for the both of us.”

He nodded again, trying to decide if he agreed with that particular statement.

“And you are telling the truth then, that there is no hero?” Ganondorf frowned again. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t understand why you would tell me this, if it is the truth. You are telling me the very thing that would most put your life at risk. It certainly doesn’t seem very wise to me.”

Zelda bit her lip and swallowed hard. It was time for the moment of truth. “I… wish to establish some measure of trust between us, though of course I understand it will be hard.”

She paused here, because Ganondorf looked quite dumfounded. “ _Trust_.” He said, voice scathing. “You want me to trust you?”

“No.” Zelda whispered. “Oh, well, yes, I suppose, but really, I want to be able to trust _you_.”

He looked rather incredulous. “ _You_ want to trust _me?_ Have you lost your mind?”

“Quite possibly.” Zelda said with a small smile; it worked – Ganondorf grinned. “But… successful marriages are based on trust.”

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. “This is unbelievable. I actually cannot believe it. Princess Zelda offering her hand in marriage to _me?_ Ridiculous.”

She smiled softly. “If it helps, I thought I’d gone insane when I first came up with the idea.”

Ganondorf looked skeptical now, but she noted he’d relaxed a little. “You couldn’t do it. You might say it now but you could never do it.”

Zelda blushed. “If you are referring to what I think you are referring too, I can assure you, I’d be willing to put up with a great deal of _unpleasantness_ in order to aid my people.”

“And this crazy plan is aiding your people? They won’t like a Gerudo on the throne.”

“They’ll get over it. Uncle Tiber is not the intended ruler. He doesn’t carry Hylia’s blood, and Hyrule is ailing for it. Surely you’ve noticed.”

Ganondorf frowned intensely. He _had_ noticed. His army was camped along the borders of Hyrule and the Goron Territories (the Gorons were _not_ happy about this), and the last few months, it was as if the vibrancy of the land had faded. The colour wasn’t quite so bright, the people weren’t quite so cheerful. It was subtle, but it was there.

“I have.” He said shortly. “But… this is a ridiculous plan. Do you realise what you’re saying? You’re offering yourself up to me on a silver platter.”

Zelda turned bright red. Really, she blushed a ridiculous amount. Were his words that scandalous?

“I know what I’m proposing. I know it sounds crazy, and maybe it is… but… it offers a solution to both our problems. Don’t you think?”

Ganondorf raised a brow. “I can’t deny that it would.” He said slowly. “It’s very far outside the realm of anything I was considering in order to take Hyrule, but… there is some truth to your words.”

Zelda looked so relived it was almost amusing.

“Thank you.” She said earnestly. “All I ask is that you consider it.” Zelda looked down and twisted her hands in her lap before she spoke again. “I don’t suppose you’d tell me if you were leaning towards yes or no?” She asked, a touch of anxiety evident in her tone.

He raised a brow. “I need to think on it. This is not the kind of decision one makes lightly.”

“Of course.” She stood as she spoke. “I completely understand. You have my offer, and in the meantime I will go…” She paused and looked a trifle confused. “To be honest, I didn’t actually plan this far ahead. I thought you’d kill me immediately.”

He shrugged and stood as well. “I thought about it. As for you leaving; you’ll stay here. I’ve got you in my grasp now; do you really think I’ll just let you waltz out of here?”

Ganondorf was conscious of a very worried princess watching him. “I was afraid of that.” She managed. “But… you haven’t said…” She trailed off, looking panicky, and he sighed irritably.

Zelda squeaked as Ganondorf moved suddenly towards her; he abruptly picked her up for the second time that night.

When his destination registered – his bed – she clutched at his arm desperately. “No!”

Ganondorf merely rolled his eyes. “If I say yes, this’ll happen anyway. You might as well let it happen now.”

“There’s a kind of logic in that, I admit, but if you say no, I’ll be ruined.” She reminded him frantically.

Ganondorf set her on the bed, and she tensed.

“If I say no, you’ll be dead. You _are_ dead _,_ according to the world.” He frowned at her again. “Your purity is the least of your worries.”

Zelda was conscious of her shaking hands and tried to hide them as Ganondorf noticed. He sighed in disgust and moved around to the other side of the bed, where he sat heavily, then twisted around to see her.

“Rape of every kind is my abhorrence, Princess. I’ve seen far too many of my sisters violated by your own precious Hylian soldiers to wish that on anyone. Even you.” His mouth ticked up slightly. “You needn’t fear this, Princess. I might kill you, but I won’t rape you.”

“Oh.” Zelda stared at him for another long moment; she could see the sincerity in his eyes. “I – I must be thankful for that, I suppose.” What a twisted grasp on morality he held.

Ganondorf smirked and then lay down, twitching the silk sheets over his form. Zelda’s gaze passed around the room once more; it seemed this Desert King liked a little luxury. The touches were small, yet present. Silk sheets on an otherwise simple bed, a silver bowl to hold his fruit, a swan feather quill rather than goose. Perhaps there was something in these hints she could work with; the Hylian Castle was certainly not devoid of luxury. _And yet, he is a desert creature,_ some inner thought reminded her. _He may not like Hyrule’s frivolities._ Well, it was something to work upon; if she could convince him to agree.

Zelda lay down cautiously, her eyes on the Demon King at all times, but he stayed true to his word – he didn’t touch her. He lay on his side, watching her as well, and she bit her lip slightly as amused golden eyes met hers.

Ganondorf’s look turned slightly sour. “I must admit, I’ve never done this before; share a bed with a woman _without_ bedding her.” His lips twitched up. “And to think you snuck in here disguised as a prostitute. You must indeed be desperate.” He chuckled. “There’s quite a few Zelda’s who’d have happily died before they sacrificed their dignity like that. And to come to _me_ for help? Truly, you are desperate.”

Zelda wasn’t sure why he had switched from the subject of why she was here to her sleeping with him, and she frowned. “I – I – it was the easiest way to get in, with little money and no connections available to me.” She lifted her chin. “I didn’t come here to warm your bed.”

“You’ve said that.” Ganondorf chuckled darkly. He shifted slightly, making her aware all over again of just how huge he was, how close he was. Zelda swallowed as he continued. “But… my men and I… we only get a woman in our beds once a month if we are not inclined to bed one another, and I’m sure you’ve realised my conundrum. If I call for another woman… Erlo will wonder what’s wrong with _you_. He spent a very long time talking up the beautiful Hylian virgin; he’ll be most disappointed in you…”

Zelda’s mouth went dry. “He did, did he?” She realised what was happening; Ganondorf had come here expecting a woman to bed, and his mind was still very much fixated on the scenario. Perhaps she could distract him.

“Indeed he did.” Ganondorf’s gaze roamed over her, an amused tilt to his grin. “He spent quite a while describing your… assets.” His eyes dropped to her chest, and Zelda indignantly folded her arms and tried to come up with something to say.

“Well… that was nice of him.” She started. What she meant was that it was a good thing, really, that Erlo had done that, for it had gotten her in here, hadn’t it? The look on Ganondorf’s face as he snorted a laugh told her something had gotten lost in translation.

“ _Nice?_ The man spent half an hour convincing me you’d be a good fuck, and you call him nice?”

Zelda blushed bright red. “I didn’t exactly mean it like that…” She stammered, but he merely waved her statement aside, watching her with penetrating golden eyes.

“So, _Princess_ , you’ve cost me my woman of the month.” He raised a brow. “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”  
Zelda frowned. “You want me to sleep with you.” She stated, scooting backwards slightly. She hadn’t forgotten she was in his bed, and he was mostly unclothed.

Ganondorf snickered. “Erlo’s right. You’re an attractive woman, and I did intend to bed someone tonight…”

She fought the blush on her cheeks and failed. “Well, it won’t be me.”

He ran an appraising eye over her again. “You never know. Perhaps I will seduce you.”

Zelda laughed involuntarily, a short, disbelieving sound, and then in the darkness, the Desert King’s mouth slowly hitched up into a smirk.

“You don’t think I could.”

Zelda could plainly hear the challenge burning in his tone, so she tossed her hair over her shoulder as dismissively as she could.

“You most certainly could _not_. Seduce Wisdom? Make _me_ forget myself? I sincerely doubt anyone could, much less _you_.”

He chuckled again, but this time there was a dangerous quality to it. “You ask for my help, and then insult me.”

Her eyes opened wide; she was balanced on a wire, and now the wind was blowing. She attempted to stammer an apology, but he waved it away.

The gleam in his eyes unnerved her somewhat; it was predatory, penetrating all the way down to her bones. When the Demon King spoke next, Zelda saw what the problem was, and had to conceal a small smile.

“Do you think I’d be incapable of seducing any woman, or just you?”

Her smile widened a touch. “I’m sorry if I’ve insulted your manhood-” His smirk widened while the gleam in his eyes darkened. “-and, I sure there are women who would not object to-” Zelda waved a hand vaguely towards him. “- _that_ , but I’m quite confident I could not be swayed by a few pretty words.”

Ganondorf nodded slightly. “Your reasoning is sound, but you’ve one fatal flaw.” He purred, leaning forwards, and Zelda blinked in shock to find him barely an inch away from her as his fingers tilted her chin up. “I do not intend to _just_ use pretty words.” He murmured against her ear, so close she could feel the heat of his body.

“Um.” Zelda managed, then attempted to extract herself. She felt like her mind had short-circuited; she couldn’t think straight for a moment. It was like all her consciousness was occupied in keeping track of where he touched her; his fingers under her chin, the hand at her waist, his thigh against hers, the hot breath against her neck. She could almost hear him smiling, and then she managed to find her voice.

“I don’t recollect agreeing to anything.” She said, hating the sudden high pitch to her voice.

“Maybe not, but may I point out that you have proposed this? Should I agree, I get to bed you anyway.” There was a slight pause, and then he trailed his hand down to her shoulder. “So, what exactly did you mean by that?”

Zelda frowned and attempted to shift further away. “What?”

Ganondorf grinned at her in the darkness, his incisors distractingly sharp. “You said before, that there’d be some women who wouldn’t object to _that_ , meaning _me_ , I presume.”

Abruptly, he seized her around the waist and pulled her towards him, looming over her. Zelda’s eyes popped open, a squeak caught in her throat as she realised exactly how much she was touching him now. His knee was wedged between her thighs, and one arm curved beneath her back, holding her against him, her breasts firm against his chest. She froze in shock for a moment, and then she started squirming.  
“Yes, I did mean _you_ , now let me go!”

Ganondorf appraised the princess beneath him with a grin, then did as she asked, sensing she was nearing her limit, smirking as she scuttled backwards and out of his reach.

Zelda blew the hair out of her eyes as she watched Ganondorf suspiciously, in case he attempted to snaffle her again. She noted the amused upturn to his mouth, and frowned. “Do you find something funny?” She inquired, twisting the sheets around her and attempting to adjust her position. Goddesses above, she wished she’d been able to remove her corset before lying down. This presented new and worrying thoughts. What if she removed her corset in Ganondorf’s presence? What if he thought it was an open invitation? She decided she would just have to suffer. Perhaps later, when he was asleep, she could remove it…

“I was thinking on whether or not I’d _revise_ my plan to seduce you.”

Heat rushed into her cheeks. “I hope you’re aware that coercion _is_ a form of rape.” Zelda said the words haughtily, attempting to shock him into admitting she was right.

Ganondorf’s golden eyes merely danced in the glow of the fire. “Perhaps, but not the way I do it.”

He moved closer and made her gasp as his breath warmed the side of her face, his lips twitching into a grin. “When I seduce a woman, she is reduced to nothing but her own desire. I make my women beg, Princess, and they want it. I do not make the first move. They do.” His voice had morphed into a dark growling tone that sent shivers into the pit of her stomach as Zelda’s mind conjured images without her express permission, images of panting breath and intertwined limbs slick with sweat… she jerked slightly. Where had those come from? The worst of it all was that she could see it. The little he’d showed her, those slight touches and whispered words… she could see him being capable of making a woman beg.

“Not me.” She whispered obstinately, and Ganondorf grinned as he brushed a strand of hair back out of her face.

“Is this a challenge, Princess? You sound almost as though you are just daring me to try.”

Zelda could feel herself blushing, but raised her chin. “Wisdom would not let herself become clouded by your pretty words and-” she could barely get the word out “-touches. It seems incredible to me that you are so open to disappointment. Do you really want to bed _me_ that much?”

Ganondorf nodded as if he’d suddenly comprehended something. “Ah, you’re right, it is different for men and women, particularly women who’ve been restricted and repressed as you have. You don’t want to give in because your society would judge you.”

“That’s not true!” Zelda said, feeling slightly confused at the direction he was taking the conversation; that hadn’t been precisely what she meant, but then she backtracked as she realised exactly what she’d said. “I mean, it’s part of it, but what about my own sense of self worth? How can I let a man touch me before I am wed and still possess dignity?”

Ganondorf’s lips twitched up again. “That’s exactly what I mean. You are so stifled and smothered by Hylian society you think that your virginity is the only thing that gives you worth. You are a princess, the heir to the throne, the Bearer of Wisdom, and the only thing you can find to give you pride is your purity? Ridiculous.”

Zelda frowned hard. She may not like it, but there was an element of logic and truth to his words. “I refuse to debate morality with you now.” She said, and he grinned.

“Only because you can’t come up with any decent arguments.”

Furrowing her brow and wrinkling her nose, she spoke. “And what’s the alternative, may I ask? A society full of women who are wanton in their ways?”

His grin slipped slightly. “You are very close to insulting my people, Princess. Tread carefully.”

“Oh.” Zelda frantically assessed things; if she insulted the Gerudo, however unknowingly, he would say no. “I apologise; I didn’t realise that I insulted the Gerudo. I… I would ask whether the fact that pre-marital unions are the norm in your society has the kind of adverse affects Hyrule warns against, but of course the very concept of pre-marital unions would not exist there.”

The irritation in his eyes morphed to approval, she noted with relief.

“You are correct. Intercourse is not paraded about in the streets, but neither is it shunned.”

“That does sound rather more sensible.” She murmured.

Ganondorf smirked. “I knew you’d come around.”

Zelda nodded. “What an uncomplicated way of looking at it.” _I cannot believe I am speaking so casually of intercourse before marriage with a man I’ve only met today._

Ganondorf’s lips twitched, and he nodded. “Sleep now. I will give you my answer in the morning.”

Zelda watched him suspiciously, but he remained true to his word. Granted, Ganondorf was now as far away from her as he could get without falling off the bed, and she him, and she knew the hand under his pillow gripped his dagger tightly. She lay there, wide-eyed, thinking furiously while she waited for him to fall asleep. There was every chance that he was waiting until she was asleep to kill her, to avoid any struggle, but... she hadn't any choice. If she got off the bed he would most probably come after her, so she had to stay. And yet... he hadn’t killed her; he’d listened. Hope blossomed within her chest; maybe Ganondorf would help her, maybe for selfish reasons, but help nonetheless. She’d get her kingdom back. She just had to obey him, loathe as she was to admit it.


	3. Decisions, Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf has almost decided, but not quite.

Zelda waited, lying there in the darkness until she was pretty sure the Demon King beside her was asleep, and then she sat up, pulling the laces of her corset loose and jerking the wretched thing free of her gown, which in her efforts not to reveal herself with Ganondorf besides her, asleep or not, was no mean feat. She really, really didn’t want to expose herself in this way, but… there was no way she could sleep, or even lie comfortably down while wearing the stupid thing. Hopefully, the stiffness of her bodice would suffice to guard her modesty should Ganondorf wake up – he might not even realise she’d removed it, provided she could get it back on surreptitiously. Finally Zelda managed it, and she leaned over the edge of the bed to place the corset on the floor. Sitting back up straight, she brushed the hair out of her eyes and turned back over, preparing to lie down and try to sleep, when she came face to face with Ganondorf, who was propped up on his elbow, watching her.

“Why didn’t you do that earlier?” He inquired, and her face burned.

“I wouldn’t be much of a lady if I removed my undergarments in the presence of a man I’d only met that day.” She returned snippily, and he grinned.

“If you recall, you _were_ a lady of the night when I met you.”

She wrinkled her nose. “That’s different. I was in disguise, incognito, undercover.” She flashed him a grin, wondering how he would react to an almost playful conversation. “And it worked, too. I fooled you.”

Ganondorf rolled his eyes in disgust. “You were pretending to be a virgin; that’s no great task for the likes of you.”

Zelda sniffed. “I was still concealing my identity; my manners and my speech don’t really sound similar to that of Ordonian prostitutes. I still had to act.”

The corner of his mouth hitched up slightly. “True.”

Ganondorf regarded the princess carefully as she lay there, fiddling with the silk sheet. He’d been in that drowsy state found in between sleep and wakefulness, and Zelda’s movements had woken him. Indeed, he’d been quite interested to see she was removing her corset, though it had soon become evident why she was. He frowned as a glimmer of concern lit her eyes.

“I don’t suppose…” She began uncertainly. Zelda frowned at him for a moment, then took a deep breath. Ganondorf waited impatiently for what she was going to say.

“Please… please tell me what you’re really thinking.” She pleaded, surprising him. “I really – I didn’t expect you to listen, though I certainly prayed you would. Tell me what you think of my plan, truly. I’m not asking for your decision; just what you think.”

Ganondorf stared at her for a moment longer. “Very well.” He said slowly, noting the way her shoulders untensed with relief. “I will tell you. Give me a moment to get my thoughts in order.”

Zelda waited patiently, hands pillowed under her cheek as she waited, and Ganondorf watched her carefully as he ran her proposition over in his mind.

First and foremost; it would without a doubt get him Hyrule. Without the opposition of the princess and the hero, there was no conceivable way anyone could stand in his way; Hyrule would be his. Ganondorf did like the sound of that; so far, the plan was agreeable. But afterwards… when this regent King Tiber had been removed from office… Zelda was proposing that neither one would kill the other, and that they would both rule Hyrule. Together. It sounded ridiculous.

“Say I did agree… and your little plan succeeded. Do you really see us living together in comfortable martial harmony? _Us?_ ” He asked sceptically.

Zelda frowned slightly. “I didn’t say it would be smooth sailing. Most likely, it would involve hard work and effort, but I think if both parties make a conscious attempt to at least be civil… well, you have your interests and I have mine. It’s about compromise.”

“You’ve given this a great deal of thought.” He noted, and she rolled her eyes.

“Of course. You think I wouldn’t have exhausted every possible method of restoring my throne that I could think of _before_ proposing marriage to the Demon King?” A small smile played around her lips, and Ganondorf thought she looked rather like a smug cat stalking the easily caught canary. “Considering our history, you were right. I am desperate.”  
_Well_. Ganondorf found he rather liked this little scenario; he was the one with the Princess at his beck and call. From here on in, he alone was in control of her fate, was in control of her. No, he couldn’t deny he didn’t like the thought immensely.

 _So_. Now was the material point, the crucial decision. Did he like the advantages of the plan enough to agree? He’d be King, sure enough, but Zelda would be Queen. _His_ Queen.

Evidently determined to convince him, Zelda continued. “I recognise that there are aspects of this that are certainly distasteful, but I really think it could work. So long as both parties behave with respect and civility towards the other, I believe we can make it work. We wouldn’t have to spend every second together; we’d have our duties to occupy ourselves.” A tinge of pink touched her cheeks then. “I don’t know your opinion on… on… the procreation of children, but I… well, heirs are necessary…”

Ganondorf shot upright. “Am I hearing you correctly? You are _willing_ to bear my children?”

He frowned intensely as images of Zelda round with his child danced through his mind. Why hadn’t he considered this before? _Children_. With the Princess of Hyrule? Ridiculous. And yet… if he did… their firstborn child would be heir to the throne… by law and by blood. He met her gaze and raised a hand, attempting to sort out his thoughts.

“You’re serious.”

Zelda nodded, that soft pink tinting her cheeks once more. “I am.”

“I can’t deny… the idea that my child, a _Gerudo_ child would be heir to the Hylian throne... is attractive.”

Zelda smiled slightly. Perhaps she _was_ convincing him. “It would certainly be interesting.” She offered. “I wonder how the Goddesses will feel about it – Gerudo blood mixing with Hylia’s, I mean.”

Ganondorf raised a brow. The Goddesses surely would be affronted – and he liked the sound of that. Perhaps… provided he was on his guard every second, it would be an idea worth exploring.

He rolled onto his back and tucked his hands under his head. “To become King of Hyrule without bloodshed.” He mused, then glanced over at the princess to flick her a sardonic grin. “Well, Wisdom’s or Courage’s blood, at least.”

Zelda smiled broadly, evidently under the impression that she was convincing him. However, Ganondorf wasn’t quite sure yet what he’d do. The idea was an interesting one… but his nature dictated violence and complete total control; the very notion of sharing the throne, especially with her, was one that incited revolt within him.

“It’s an interesting concept. Who knows?” He asked, flicking Zelda another smirk. “I might yet agree.”

She looked almost ecstatic, and he had to remind himself it was because she thought she was getting her throne back, not because she was excited to marry him. Zelda had made it very clear it was quite the opposite in that department. Funnily enough, Ganondorf felt a twinge of… what? He felt uneasy for a moment, until he realised he was affronted that a woman was expressing disgust at the idea of going to bed with him. It was not good for his ego, and Ganondorf narrowed his eyes slightly; he found himself wanting to prove his mastery with Zelda, to make her eat her words. It was a temptation he would have to keep in check, lest he wound up doing something they would both regret.

This brought him back to an earlier point. “I still doubt you’ll be able to go through with it.” Ganondorf looked over to see her reaction, and found Zelda frowning. “See?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I can-” She stopped and started again. “It’s like I said. I can put up with a great deal as long as I am in my rightful place as Queen.”

 _Rightful place? Hah._ Ganondorf frowned at the ceiling for a long moment. “You are really damaging my ego.” He complained, and snuck her a sidelong glance. “Do you think it will be that unpleasant because of who I am, or because you doubt my abilities?”

It took her a moment, but then Zelda laughed, which made him grind his teeth. Ganondorf disliked being an object of ridicule, and so he glared at her until she realised and stopped.  
“My apologies.” She said with a grin. “I had no idea my words were being taken in such a way.” Her smile stretched wider. “Out of all the things I’ve said tonight you could decide to focus on, you choose to be insulted that I might think you’re not much chop in bed? Truly, men are fragile creatures indeed.”

This was accompanied by more laughter, and Ganondorf lay there and fumed, wondering why exactly he’d opened his mouth and called ridicule upon himself. He found himself picturing his revenge, of proving to her exactly how much _chop_ he had.

Zelda’s smile faded as she waited for Ganondorf’s reply and got none; registering his clenched jaw and tense form, she realised he was in fact genuinely insulted. _He must be the type of man who sets great store in being a good lover,_ she thought, then blushed slightly. If that were true, did that mean when – _if_ , she corrected, for it was no means decided yet – he bedded her, would it be a good deal less impartial than she had assumed? While she was sure his disdain for her wouldn’t diminish… _hmm_. Zelda was now uncertain, and she disliked being uncertain.

Reaching out tentatively, she touched his arm lightly, a merest brush of her fingers over his flesh, and she pulled back when his gaze met hers. His decidedly _irritated_ gaze.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered. “If I offended you, it wasn’t intentional.”

To her surprise, Ganondorf snorted. “What?” He said, scowling at her. “You’ve spent essentially the whole night telling me how distasteful you find this. If I thought you found it so because I am Gerudo…” His voice trailed off dangerously, and Zelda immediately grasped the severity of the situation.

If he thought she held disdain for him because of his race… Ganondorf was a proud man, very proud, and he’d probably kill her just for that insult. She had to figure out a way to explain her dislike of him without insulting him further… which would be no easy task.

“It’s not because you’re Gerudo.” She blurted, and when disbelieving golden eyes slid her way, she continued. “Its you. Who _you_ are. We’ve been mutual foes for centuries; doesn’t the idea of… _bedding_ me fill you with disgust? I mean, I _was_ under the impression that we despised each other.”

Ganondorf gave a bark of laughter, though the sound was anything but joyful. “True; I do hate you with every fibre of my being, and I always will.” His gaze ran over her form, and she shivered from his heady stare. “But I am still a man. You’re an attractive woman, despite your irritating habit of meddling in my affairs.”

Zelda stared at him. So he thought she was attractive? She could work with that, she decided. “Oh.” She said faintly, to give the impression that she didn’t know what to say. It worked; Ganondorf’s smirk grew wider.

“And you?” He purred. “Are you repulsed by this?” He motioned lazily at his own form. “You would find my skin repellent, no?”

Zelda very slowly shook her head, eyes wide. This was a precipice that needed careful skirting indeed. “N-no.” She eked out. The cruel mouth twisted in clear disbelief, and she rushed to continue. “I do not find the colour of your skin repellent; it merely is a characteristic of your race.” Cheeks burning red, she waved a hand towards his torso. “And – and you – your form is not… unattractive.” She finished lamely.

His grin widened. “ A bumbling compliment if I ever heard one, yet a compliment nonetheless. I know perfectly well you are lying, Princess, but I shall let it slide.”

“I’m not – lying.” She burst out, her voice fading to a mere squeak as she realised what she’d said. Zelda promptly hid her face in her pillow in a vain attempt to evade the embarrassment of having admitted what she considered to be the cardinal sin – that she found Ganondorf Dragmire attractive. How could you not? She asked herself. He thought she found his dark skin reprehensible, when in fact she found it intriguing – it was a beacon of his foreignness, true, but it suited him, gave him an interesting air.

She’d seen him once before, when she was seventeen, and Ganondorf had come to the castle to meet with her father. Her father had decided she would not be introduced to the Gerudo King, and so had never spoken to him before now… but when he had left the castle, she had climbed the ramparts to spy on this man, her mortal enemy for centuries past, and had been quite peeved to discover this horrible man wasn’t exactly as ugly as his heart. His tall, muscular form could not be unwelcome to any woman, no matter the colour of his skin, and his long hair and flashing golden eyes reminded her of the pirates from the tales of her youth – it was very silly, she knew, to look upon him and romanticise his appearance, but she couldn’t quite help herself. Zelda knew that his body housed raw power, and he could kill her, probably _would_ kill her, with a mere twist of his fingers – it would be in her best interests to ignore the silly flutter of sexual attraction deep within her belly.

With the admission that the attraction was sexual came another set of confusion. Though a virgin, Zelda was well learned in the theory of mating – she knew from reading medical texts and erotic novels that sometimes, certain people could inspire… _sensations_ , in the pit of one’s stomach. These feelings were amplified when bedding that individual, and according to her erotic novels, it was a pleasurable experience indeed.

Zelda tried in vain to tell herself it was a bad idea to feel so curious about warming his bed. Her cheeks heated a little as she recalled his earlier words – he took pride in pleasing the women he bedded, that much was obvious… now, her body burned with curiosity to see if he would pleasure _her_. But no! _He is dangerous,_ she told herself firmly. _More than that, he would happily kill you, you little fool. Stop this nonsense at once._

Ganondorf eyed the princess with interest as she hid her face from him, clearly embarrassed by her little admission. Given her reaction, unless she was a terrific actress, he had no doubt she had just told him the truth – she did find him attractive. He instantly burned with gratification, preening at the fact his body could affect his mortal foe despite all their animosity. Very slowly, Zelda lifted her head, until her light blue eyes met his and she flushed pink. Ganondorf found himself absentmindedly indulging in a little daydream in which he explored her body to find out just how much of her turned pink when she blushed.

That line of thinking soon led him to an idea.

“Let’s say… I _was_ inclined to agree to marry you.” He said slowly, hiding his smirk as Zelda jerked her head up, looking first amazed, then almost giddy with excitement and relief. He thoroughly enjoyed her expression fading to flat suspicion when he continued. “You have to do something first.”

Zelda eyed him warily. “What sort of thing?”

He smirked at her. “You have to kiss me.”

The princess said and did nothing but very slowly raise a delicately arched brow, and Ganondorf chuckled before he continued.

“You say you’re attracted to me-” this time Zelda’s flush was close to purple, Ganondorf noted with pleasure. “-so I want proof of it.”

The princess spoke, her voice rather cool. “May I ask why this particular caveat is a necessary precursor to the decision making process?”

He barely refrained from rolling his eyes. By the Goddess, she was a formal acerbic bitch when she wanted to be.

“I ask it because I want proof.” He replied, attempting to match her haughty tone. “If I agree to this ridiculous proposition of yours, then I expect to bed you. What I doubt is your ability to go through with it. You’re all talk, Princess.”

“So you want me to kiss you, to prove I can touch you and not go to pieces.” She said flatly, and tossed her hair arrogantly. “From what you’ve said this shouldn’t even be necessary. If you were really as good as you say then you wouldn’t need me to prove it, because you could just seduce me, couldn’t you?” She flashed him a sickly sweet smile. “Very good of you to prove yourself wrong – it saves a lot of bother on my part.”

Ganondorf found himself almost stuck dumb by her sheer cheek.

“You insolent little tart.” He spat, glaring. “If you keep insulting me like this I can tell you now the only mercy I will show you is a broken neck.”

Her reaction was instantaneous. Zelda blanched and looked down, her trembling fingers gripping the blankets.

“I-I’m sorry.” She stuttered quietly. “I forgot myself.”

“Not very wise of you.” He said sarcastically.

“No, I suppose not.” Zelda was quieter than ever. “I’m sorry.” She whispered again, blue eyes looking earnestly into his. He supposed that with her life in real danger, she was earnest.

“Stop apologising.” He growled, rolling onto his back and glaring at the ceiling as he realised she’d done an excellent job at distracting him from his intent. “Will you or not?” He asked with a humorous grin. “I doubt it myself. I might remind you it’s in your best interests to obey me. After all, I haven’t agreed to help you-”

Fire sparked in her eyes and she set her chin determinedly, and then Zelda leaned over and interrupted by slanting her lips over his. As far as kisses went, it certainly wasn’t the best he’d ever had, being rather awkward and quick, but as Zelda pulled back and he eyed her face, he noticed her flushed satisfaction – she thought she’d proved it.

“See?” She said stiffly. “I am perfectly capable, thank you very-”

Ganondorf interrupted by sitting up and tugging her upright as well.

“That.” He said. “was a terrible kiss.”

She wrinkled her nose and looked embarrassed. “Well, I’m very sorry I’m not up to whatever deviant standards you’ve concocted-” She began, but her voice trailed off when he brushed his thumb over her lips.

“Properly, this time.” He murmured, and kissed her.

This time, it was better.

Her lips were soft and sweet, and she parted them on a gasp as his tongue demanded entry. Ganondorf tightened his grip on her waist and then decided to go all out, pulling her into his lap, expertly sliding her skirts up around her waist as he did so. Zelda stiffened and he urged her to relax with his lips, sinking a hand into her hair to guide her movements. He kissed her the way he would take a woman he really wanted, trying to get her to react negatively, to admit this plan was stupid and she couldn’t go through with it. She reacted all right, but not how he was expecting. Zelda’s hands snaked around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair as she kissed him back enthusiastically, even passionately. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he marvelled at her acting skills. The thought at the forefront of his mind, however, was his rapidly growing arousal. _Perhaps that will scare her off,_ he thought to himself even as he pulled her closer, for the junction of her thighs was now pressed directly over his crotch – she would certainly feel his cockstand against her honeypot.

To his surprise (and delight, due to his growing lust), Zelda rocked her hips into his and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, setting him aflame, and he released her hair in favour of seizing her waist and grinding her down over his cock, relishing the surprised whimper she let out, and then realised with a fierce note of pride that her whimper had sounded every bit as aroused as he felt.

With a slight hint of regret, Ganondorf broke the kiss, drawing back far enough to see her flushed features and her taut nipples pressing through the thin corset-free silk of her gown.

“Looks like you proved me wrong, Princess.” He murmured, and she smiled.

“I told you.” She whispered back.

Ganondorf eyed her beautiful face, flushed with very obvious arousal, and considered. No matter her true feelings on the subject, it seemed he was wrong and she was right – she would be able to submit herself to his touch. This made him want to touch her right here, right now – after all, tonight was the night he as supposed to be able to bed his whores, and he was feeling a little antsy at the thought of going without for another month, but… Zelda had made it very clear she would not go to bed with him unless they were married… and if they were married, then that meant he would have agreed to help restore her throne to her.

Hmm.

Yet, he knew he couldn’t just use bedding her as a reason. There were so many other factors to consider, factors such as actually having to rule with her. It was an unpleasant thought, but as he lay there, an idea occurred to him. Ganondorf scowled in the darkness, for the idea was not exactly pleasant, but…it made sense, particularly when he weighed the current circumstances against it. Hyrule disliked having ‘Uncle Tiber’ as King, he realised… and it was perhaps a similar thing to what he had experienced in the past. _No_. He told himself firmly. _It’s not the same. Hyrule is my right._ Still, what Zelda had told him lingered in his mind. He had no doubt o her desperation now, no doubts at all. A Princess Zelda still in control of her future would never have kissed him like that, would never be so clearly aware of the blackmail attempt and yet still give in. No, she was desperate, and he rather liked that. She was dependant on him now, but that meant... like it or not, the rules had been changed, and Ganondorf knew he must play by them or get left behind. Sighing slightly in disgust at the idea, he weighed the pros and cons against each other for several hours, long after Zelda had fallen asleep, then came to a decision. He knew what he would do – but he wouldn’t tell her yet. Let her sweat it out a little longer, perhaps. There was no harm in enjoying her fear.

He rolled onto his back again and rested his hands behind his head, frowning thoughtfully at the ceiling, affecting an easy, nonchalant attitude, wondering what Zelda would think of his current thoughts. His mind then returned to his frustrated arousal. He had not expected her to kiss him like that. It was wholly unexpected, and his cock refused to listen to reason when he tried to explain he would not be bedding anyone tonight. Ganondorf knew he would not pass an easy night, but tried to ignore it in favour of searching for any angles he might have yet missed, turning Zelda’s words over in his mind to ensure he had her every meaning. This was a complicated choice, and he wanted to be sure he was making the right decision. With his head troubled and his cock stiff, he finally drifted off, still hating how much he felt unsure of his next move.


	4. The Deal is Sealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda and Ganondorf come to an arrangement.
> 
> Contains a NSFW scene!

Zelda awoke sleepily, so gradually it took her a few minutes to realise she was even awake. Taking a deep, contented breath, she relaxed into the firm male body that held her… her eyes flew open as she realised she was lying tucked into Ganondorf’s arms. He was plainly still asleep, as evidenced by the slight snoring ruffling her hair and the regular heartbeat under her ear. Taking a moment to assess herself, Zelda realised she and he must have unconsciously drifted into the centre of his bed during the night, and had subconsciously moved into each others arms. Ganondorf lay on his back, and to her intense embarrassment, Zelda was draped across his bare chest, his arms locked around her waist, her leg straddling one of his beefy thighs. She attempted to extract herself, carefully moving his arms from around her waist and sitting up, where she paused for a moment to push her hair back from her face.

Sudden movement told her that Ganondorf had woken, either naturally or from her movement, and was sitting up just out of her line of sight. She continued to stare steadily at the wall for a long moment to compose herself, then turned to face the Demon King.

“Good morning.” She said quietly, nerves churning in the base of her stomach. It was morning, the time he’d said he would give his decision – and if he chose not to accept her proposal… she did not have long to live. Zelda considered her likelihood of escaping – her magical arts had not been honed to the extent they should have been – she was now coming to realise that what had in years past seemed like perfectly natural reasons to delay had in fact been carefully orchestrated. Someone wanted her powerless, and for once, it wasn’t the man in front of her.

“Good morning, Princess.” He replied, sounding quite cheerful; Zelda turned to face him and was greeted with a mocking smile.

She took a deep breath and simply watched him. After a moment, his expression faded to seriousness, and his molten eyes turned intense.

“I’ve made my decision, Princess.” He said slowly, and Zelda held her breath, fingers clenched in the silk of her skirts so tightly her knuckles went white. This was it. The deciding moment of whether Ganondorf would help her… or she’d die.

“It is an interesting proposition, to be sure.” He began. “And it required careful thought. My first instinct was to kill you and be done with it, but I have done as you asked and considered it.”

Zelda could have sighed in relief, but she was too frozen to do so.

“It would be an amusing diversion to rule Hyrule with you, I admit.” He said, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly. “So I rather think I will.”

Zelda shut her eyes and very shakily released her pent-up breath. Opening her eyes, she found Ganondorf looking quite smug and pleased at her reaction. “Thank you.” She whispered. “Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”

His smirk widened, and then he slid from the bed. “Just don’t cause me any trouble, Princess.” He said over his shoulder as he moved to a heavy chest of drawers. Zelda bit her lip and turned to face the wall as he dressed himself.

“Do you take breakfast?”

Zelda turned her head at this question and found him dressed in his armour, looking twice as menacing as before.

“Yes, thank you.” She said quietly, slipping off the bed and attempting to straighten her sleep-creased gown.

Ganondorf nodded and rang a bell. “Usual fare is tea and toast.” His voice turned mocking then. “I suppose the _Princess_ will find that lacking.”

“Not at all.” She said evenly, not rising to his bait. “Indeed it will be the best meal I’ve had in several weeks now.”

He frowned at that. “Where have you been living?”

“In a brothel.” She replied simply. “The assassination attempt came just after a ball – I suppose they were trying to put the blame on one of the guests. In any case, when I escaped I was wearing quite a lot of expensive jewellery. I hid in the back of a wagon and ended up in Ordon – that was a miserable journey, I can assure you. The madam of the brothel traded my jewels for a small room and some food, and so I stayed there a while, trying to figure out what I would do. Then, last week Erlo appeared and began purchasing prostitutes to come here, which gave me the perfect way to get in.”

Ganondorf raised a brow. “You’re fortunate you had your jewels with you, or you’d have ended up paying for your board in a rather different fashion.”

Zelda frowned at him. “I’m… well aware of that, thank you.”

At that moment, there came a knock on the door, to which Ganondorf barked an order. The door swung wide to reveal a creature Zelda had not actually seen in person, but recognised from illustrations to be a moblin. The moblin said something in a guttural language, and Ganondorf replied, seemingly fluent in… moblish.

The moblin left, and Zelda tilted her head curiously. “What language is that?” She asked, and he grinned at her over a glass of water.

“ _Karsajk_.” He said, then repeated it slowly. “The native language of moblins.”

Zelda nodded slightly, then flexed her fingers. “Soooo…” She said, drawing out the sound. “Do I just… stay here?”

Ganondorf nodded. “Yes. The fact that you won’t be leaving aside, you were seen coming in here as a prostitute. If you went wandering around the camp, some of my men would no doubt wish to avail themselves of your… _services_ , and they are not as against rape as I.”

Zelda swallowed and nodded. “Understood.”

After a while, there came another knock on the door, and after Ganondorf’s bark of command, a human soldier entered bearing a silver tray. The soldier set the tray on the dining table, bowed, then turned to leave, his curious gaze flicking once in her direction as he did so. Zelda remained standing by the bed, waiting until Ganondorf had sat down and motioned her over to move. She sat lightly down opposite him, and took the proffered plate.

“I must admit this is strange.” She said softly, with a slight smile. “Sitting down to a peaceful breakfast with _you_ of all people.”

The corner of his mouth ticked up into an amused smirk. “I quite agree.” He drawled, roughly slicing a loaf of bread in half. “Here. Cut what you want and toast it over the fire.” He said, handing her half of the loaf. He seemed to be doing the same thing to his half, and so Zelda set about cutting a few slices. They toasted their bread in silence, and it wasn’t until they were both back at the table that Zelda spoke again.

“I – may I ask something of you?” She began rather hesitantly as she buttered a slice of toast.

Ganondorf raised a brow. “Have you not already?” he said sardonically, and she frowned at him.

“It is too early for sarcasm, if you please.” She said. “I merely wished to clarify part of our… arrangement.” She had been debating asking him this… what if in asking him to go over his reasoning, he saw a flaw and changed his mind?

He smirked, but nodded. “What is it you wish?” He asked, not looking at her as he layered several slices of cheese over his toast. At the last second, nerves got the better of her, and she asked a different question. There was always time to find out his motives later – when things were a little bit more settled.

“I would ask that we could marry as soon as possible.” She said softly, warming her hands with her teacup. “I do not wish to imply that I distrust what you said about your abhorrence of rape… but I would be uncomfortable sharing space with any man while unmarried.”

Ganondorf’s brows drew together as he thoughtfully chewed his cheese and toast. “Odd reasoning.” He said with his mouth full, then swallowed. “Why would sharing my quarters matter so long as we married eventually?”

Zelda shrugged slightly. “Societal expectations, I think. I feel very physically uncomfortable with the idea. Last night was torture.”

The corner of his mouth ticked up and he leaned back in his chair, seemingly amused. “Torture, eh? You’re not giving me much incentive to marry early, Princess.”

She frowned at him, and he continued.

“We won’t be married.”

Ganondorf grinned at the look on Zelda’s face. Her jaw had dropped and she had paled alarmingly, sloshing a little tea onto her hand as she set it on the table.

“What do you _mean?”_ She demanded sharply, then remembered herself. “You – you have changed your mind?” Zelda asked hesitantly. “You are going to kill me after all?”

He smirked at her. “No, I’m not going to kill you.” He paused and enjoyed the utter relief that washed over her features. “I’m going to invade Hylian and take the throne from your uncle, whereupon we will rule as husband and wife.” _Maybe_. “But we won’t marry.”

Zelda narrowed her eyes, her lips thin. “I’m afraid I don’t follow you.” She said very precisely.

Ganondorf leaned back in his chair, projecting an aura of calm nonchalance entirely at odds with the pale faced, stick straight posture of the girl opposite him. “And here I thought you were the one with Wisdom.” He sneered. “How the hell are we going to _marry?_ You’re dead, and not to mention fairly recognisable. We both are. What, we’re just going to waltz into a temple and expect the priest to be a unobservant moron?”

She tightened her lips further, looking displeased. “I had thought of that.” She said, her tone icy. “I figured I could give a false name, and go to an Ordonian temple-”

“No.” He interrupted, draining his tea. “It’s foolish to take such a risk. I can have one of my men procure a marriage license if it’s that important to you, but there will be no ceremony.”

Ganondorf grinned as he watched Zelda deflate. “Well… okay.” She said finally. “I can accept the license, though I’d certainly feel more at ease with a proper ceremony.” She paused slightly. “I won’t pretend your way is not wiser, I just…” Zelda took a deep breath and sighed. “My impending nuptials have been a big part of my life, you know. Ever since I was little. Will it be this Prince, that King? With whom will I ally my kingdom? Will I even get to choose my own husband? It’s… difficult to give up such a predefined notion as the one I have in my head.”

Swirling his tea leaves, he glanced down to read them, and grinned at the optimistic fortune they showed. “Could you ever have imagined gaining such a husband?” He teased, and was surprised when she glowed bright red, having expected her to instantly deny.

Zelda looked at the table and tapped her fingers, and he watched her curiously as she responded.

“Well… yes.” She said hesitantly. At his look of surprise, she smiled wryly. “I did say there was little chance of me having much say in my own marriage. There was talk in the courts a few years back, before my father died, of arranging a union between us to end your threat.”

Ganondorf stared at her for a moment. Clearly, this had never gotten beyond talk, for he’d never before heard of it. “A few years?” He asked sceptically. “How old were you?”

Zelda looked at the ceiling. “Fifteen.” She said quietly. “Papa vetoed it in the end; he said it would be inhumane to give a mere child to someone like you.”

He snorted. “Of course.” Ganondorf smirked at her then. “And yet, you’ve ended up here anyway.”

She smiled wanly. “So it would seem.”

He absentmindedly shoved another piece of toast into his mouth. “Well, I’d love to stay and chat.” He began sarcastically. “But I have things to attend to.”

Zelda nodded and stood up as he did, waiting until he’d pushed his chair in before she sat down again.

Ganondorf frowned at her. “What did you stand up for?”

She looked a little startled. “Oh – we always do it at home, when people leave the table. It’s a mark of respect, totally subconscious.”

“You respect me?”

Her delicate brows drew together. “Of course. I may not like or agree with your methods, but I respect your capability as a leader, that you were chosen as the bearer of Power.”

He nodded slightly, and Zelda’s smile turned wry.

“I take it by your tone of surprise you don’t respect me?”

Ganondorf frowned harder. “That is a question I have seldom asked myself. I suppose… in a way I would. As a fellow Triforce bearer... probably.”

She smiled wider, showing her teeth. They were even, white and gleamed despite having clearly not cleaned them. They were perfect. _Figures_ , he grumbled to himself. As if a perfect Zelda would have anything even close to an imperfection on her body.

“Enough talk.” He continued gruffly. “I’ve work to do. Stay here.”

He turned and strode from his quarters without another word. Now his plan would have to be modified to work Zelda into it. Betraying her was currently at the forefront of his mind; while Ganondorf had accepted that the princess’s knowledge of Hyrule, the castle, the kingdom and her uncle meant it would be far easier to conquer the land, he still highly doubted any union between them would work. No, it would be far simpler to manipulate her into believing all was well… and when her uncle was dead and they ruled together, he would kill her, take her Triforce, and rule alone. Perhaps he’d wait until she gave him an heir, he mused. That would certainly solidify his claim to the throne after Zelda’s tragic and unforseen demise.

Alone in Ganondorf’s quarters once more, Zelda stayed in her chair and slowly sipped at her tea, deep in thought. He wasn’t sincere, she could see that immediately. While she didn’t think he’d do anything to harm her now, before he got any use for her, she’d have to up her guard immensely once the throne was hers once more. The merits of betraying him danced through her mind, and once more, she wondered where Link was. The hero hadn’t been sighted in years, unless for some odd reason he’d been kept away from her, and if she could somehow find him… assuming, of course, he hadn’t wandered off and got himself killed on an adventure, then she had one possible tool with which to dispose of the Demon King with.

Her breakfast complete, she neatly stacked her plate on the tray and set about exploring his rooms properly. There was little of interest in the room she was currently in; it was merely the room he lived in. The rooms that extended off the main shack, made from canvas tenting, however… it was possible that one of them may be a study of some kind, and it was worth having a look through his papers.

The first room she found was his bathing chamber – it contained a simply enormous tub, a towel rail and a small table holding several soaps, lotions and a candelabra. She left that room fairly swiftly, but not before she was assailed by a vision of Ganondorf bathing in the tub. She tossed her head to be rid of the thought, conscious of a blush overtaking her cheeks, then continued into the next room. This time, she struck gold – it was his study. She set about first carefully taking in the many maps on the walls; some were of Hyrule, some were of the Gerudo desert, some were of various other countries and more still were of towns in Hyrule.

The papers on his desk seemed to be fairly routine; things like guard rotations, missives to his generals, prisoner reports, that kind of thing. Those of them that were written in a language she understood, at least. Most papers seemed to be written in a hand that was very clearly Ganondorf’s, but the letters… she’d never seen anything quite like it – she surmised it was Gerudo, and so it was illegible to her. Very carefully, Zelda ran her eye over the desk to make sure that when she lifted a document to read it, she’d be able to put it back exactly where it had been before. She spent nearly an hour carefully reading through things, but didn’t uncover anything of use – it turned out he didn’t write down anything that could be incriminating or useful to her, or he did, and it was written in Gerudo. Either that, or he hid them thoroughly. Making sure she’d left the desk exactly as she’d found it, Zelda then headed back out into the main living quarters, casting her gaze about for any doors she might have missed.

The third and final door led into a simple storage room filled with easy to prepare food, sealed jugs of both water and wine, a neatly folded pile of bedding, and some cleaning supplies. Feeling thoroughly disgruntled with her lack of anything helpful, Zelda went and explored the simple bookcase propped against one wall. Ganondorf had an awful lot of books on political history, quite a few atlases, a few biographies, some account books and a few novels. After carefully examining the case for any hidden treasures that would give her some insight on Ganondorf’s plans and coming up empty, she took one of the novels and curled up in an ridiculously oversized armchair, content to read away the time until Ganondorf came back.

* * *

 

Back in the prostitute’s food shack, people were worried. Madam Orla had been to several guards, had begged Erlo for information, had called a meeting with the rest of the women to no avail. The reason for their concern? The pretty young Hylian virgin had been taken like a lamb for slaughter to the Demon King… and she hadn’t come back.

Madame Orla was a motherly type, the kind of woman who took anyone and everyone under her wing, no matter age, size, gender or willingness, and she had taken a definite shine to Alaria, who had accepted her fall from grace with such poise, had listened to their instructions on what kind of activities went on in a man’s bed with such innocent wide eyes, had gone off, clearly nervous, but accepting of her fate, to warm the bed of the King of All Evil. The King had a habit of bedding his women then kicking them out of his quarters when he was done, and so usually his women were either asleep or with another customer by two or three. The fact that Alaria not only had been with him the entire night but also most of the next day was alarming to say the least.

Erlo mopped his forehead and tried once more to reason with Madam Orla, who was busy arguing with him at the top of her lungs. She wanted to know what had happened to the Hylian girl, and by thunder, she was going to find out, come hell or high water. That’s not to say he didn’t want to find out what had happened himself – despite being a dealer in whores, he was on good terms with most of the regulars, and enjoyed the benefits of treating them kindly. He sincerely hoped the Demon King hadn’t hurt the girl _too_ much.

“Now, Madam, be reasonable.” He tried. “There’s in all probability a perfectly reasonable explanation of what ‘appened to ‘her!”

Orla folded her arms, looking ferocious. “Oh? Then what is it?”

Erlo shrugged rather nervously. “Now, Orla, don’t make me out to seem like I don’t care about the gel; I’m just as worried as you are. My point is, you can’t just barge into the King’s quarters – he’ll eviscerate you!”

“I want to know what ‘appened to the poor child.” Said Orla stubbornly. “And if you don’t find out, I _will!_ ”

“All right! All right!” Erlo held up his hands in defeat. “I’ll… see if I can find the King. You… stay ‘ere.”

It was clear she wanted to go and find out herself, but she nodded. “Fine. But if yer not back in an hour…” She threatened.

“Don’t worry, Orla. I’m sure the child is fine. Hopefully, she’s just… sleeping it off.”

A shadow of worry mixed with humour crossed her face. “If ‘e took ‘er the way ‘e normally takes ‘is women she’ll be sleeping a goodly while!”

Erlo made a few more promises of tracking Alaria down, then scurried off, feeling like he was heading to his own execution. Would the King see this as impertinence of the worst kind and lop his head off on the spot? He belched nervously, rubbed his belly, then set off, wondering if he should go straight to the Demon King’s quarters or ask around first.

Luck (good or bad, that depended on how you looked at it) was on his side. Not even a few minutes after setting off across the army site he caught sight of the King himself striding through the tents and shacks. Erlo broke into a run (and a cold sweat) to catch up. Falling into pace beside the King’s monstrous form, he bowed deeply and waited for acknowledgement.

“What do you want?” Was the curt words aimed at his head. The King didn’t stop walking, and Erlo scurried alongside, needing four steps to every large Gerudo stride.

“Begging yer pardon, yer Majesty.” He began, feeling queasy. “I don’t mean to be meddling in affairs that ein’t my own, but… the woman, Sire. They’re… worried.”

“What about?” Came the gruff inquiry, and Erlo breathed a silent sigh of relief; the King was listening.

“The girl from last night… the ‘Ilian one. Alaria.”

The King’s demeanour instantly changed, turning frosty and unimpressed. “Why?” He growled, and Erlo supressed a shudder.

“She – she didn’t come back, yer Majesty. What with ‘er bein’ a virgin and all… some o’ the women are worried about ‘er.”

The King rolled his eyes. “She’s fine. She’s in my quarters, and she’s staying there.”

You could have knocked him down with a feather. “ _What?”_ He exclaimed, forgetting himself in his amazement. “Yer _keeping_ ‘er?”

There was something close to amusement in the ferocious golden eyes as they shifted downward to meet his gaze.

“Yes.” Came the simple reply. “She’s… worth keeping, despite her innocence. Or maybe it’s because of her innocence?” The Gerudo King was clearly thinking out loud. “Either way, she’s staying. Go back and tell the women not to worry. She’s safe.”

The King strode away, leaving Erlo standing there, so shocked he’d forgotten to bow in farewell.

 

* * *

 

“ _What?”_

Erlo nodded emphatically. “It’s true, Orla! The King said so himself.”

Ria frowned disbelievingly. “‘E couldn’t ‘ave. Why would ‘e want _‘er,_ a little untrained snip of a gel?”

Orla frowned. “It’s… surprising.”

Erlo mopped his brow. “That’s one word for it. Poor gel, indeed.”

“I want to see ‘er.” Continued Orla stubbornly.

“Come now Orla be reasonable.” Erlo tried to make the stupid woman see sense. “You can’t just go barging into the King’s quarters! ‘E’ll kill you!”

Orla frowned. “But what if she’s ‘urt?”

“Go and look in the window if you absolutely must, but for Din’s sake don’t go inside!” He snapped, fed up with the entire situation.

Orla looked very satisfied with herself. “I make no promises, luvvie.”

 

* * *

 

Zelda stretched slightly in her chair and turned the page, completely absorbed in her book. At that moment, there came a slight tapping sound, which she ignored in favour of reading. After a few minutes, the tapping was so pronounced and irritating that she looked up to find the source. After a few moments, she realised something was tapping on the shuttered window. Setting aside her book, Zelda stood up and moved cautiously towards the window, wondering what it was. After a moment’s hesitation she threw the shutters wide, and blinked at the apparition on the other side of the glass.

A wide smile appeared on her face as she beheld Madam Orla blinking owlishly at her. Lifting the sash, Zelda opened the window, wincing at the squeak of stiff wood.

“Madam!” She cried, at the same moment Orla exclaimed.

“Alaria!”

Zelda grinned at the woman. “What are you doing here?”

“I might ask you the same question!” Orla replied. “Why won’t the Demon King let you go?”

Zelda’s smile faded as she realised what was going on, and tried to come up with a suitable explanation. “I – don’t know.” She said. “He – he didn’t explain his reasoning. Just told me I wasn’t to leave.”

There. She’d pin the blame on Ganondorf.

Orla looked sympathetic. “Poor duckie.” She said softly. “‘E is a strange man. ‘E ‘asn’t ‘urt you, though?”

“No, he hasn’t.” Zelda said, aiming to reassure the woman – her concern was very sweet.

Orla nodded. “And – ‘ow was it? Not too scary, I ‘ope.”

Zelda turned bright red. “It was – that is, it wasn’t – terrible.” Of course they all believed she’d slept with him last night. Well, to deny it would only cause more suspicion, so she had no choice but to make it sound like she had, no matter how incredibly mortifying it was.

Orla grinned, showing cracked teeth. “Well, that’s all we can ‘ope for, innit? Do yer best to please ‘im, duckie, and yer’ll be alright.” The woman smiled, then looked over her shoulder. “I’d best be off, luvvie. Don’t want to be caught by ‘imself ‘anging around ‘ere.”

Zelda nodded, then reached out and covered the kindly prostitute’s hand with her own. “Thank you.” She said warmly. “For coming to see if I was alright. It’s very kind of you.”

The woman smiled kindly and patted her hand. “Not to worry, duckie. “Yer’ll be alright.”

With that, she was gone. Zelda smiled fondly after her, then carefully eased the sticky window back down and closed the shutters, turned around to go back to her book – and jumped out of her skin.

Leaning against the far wall, out of sight of Madam Orla, was Ganondorf, and he did not look happy.

Zelda froze, staring at him with wide eyes. As she watched, the corner of his mouth twitched up.

“Not terrible, was it?” He asked, sounded amused, and she squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment.

“You know perfectly well I had to say that.” She snapped. “She’d have wondered if I didn’t.”

His smirk only widened, but it became dangerous and cold. “And who said you could speak to anyone?”

Her blood ran cold. “I – I –” She stammered. “I didn’t know she would come here.” Worry for Orla’s wellbeing took over. “You can’t blame her for being concerned!”

That cruel grin only widened, and he moved towards her, making her stumble back a step. “Maybe not, and yet, maybe I can.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he smirked, stopping just a step away from her.

“And how is my pretty little prostitute today?” He inquired, and she gritted her teeth.

“I’m _not_ a prostitute.”

“Could have fooled me.” Ganondorf leaned in close to her ear, brushing a hand through her hair, his voice suggestive. “After that kiss you gave me?”

Her cheeks burned at the memory of it. “That’s – not fair.” She replied stiffly, keeping as still as she could. “You were blackmailing me.”

“You gave in.”

“I hadn’t any other choice.”

Ganondorf smirked. “And that’s what makes this whole thing so much _fun_.”

Zelda scowled. “So. You agreed to this just so you could hold it over my head, didn’t you?”

He grinned wider. “I admit that is part of it, yes.”

That piqued her curiosity. “Part of it?” She took a step forwards, which meant she was nearly touching the Gerudo King. “What – what is the other part?”

He only raised a brow. “Lets just say I have my own motives, Princess, and they need not make themselves known to _you_.”

Ganondorf grinned as the princess scowled heavily. Let her chew on _that_.

“Very well.” She said softly, her expression turning sweet and undeceiving right before his eyes, and he put his guard up. “That is your decision, of course.” She continued. “I wonder if I might ask you something, seeing as that particular line of conversation is so clearly going nowhere?”

Ganondorf wondered what she was going to ask – what more could she feasibly ask of him?

He inclined his head, feeling curious.

Zelda looked a trifle nervous. “I wanted to know if I had _permission_ -” She twisted the word on her tongue. “-to make use of the facilities here, seeing as this is your home.”

He raised a brow. “Get to the point.”

She took a deep breath and continued, her tone sickeningly polite. “Perhaps I might avail myself of your bathing chamber?”

The corner of his mouth ticked upwards. She wanted to _bathe_. Ganondorf sensed a prime opportunity to irritate her, and responded accordingly.

“Planning to pretty yourself up, are we?”

Zelda frowned a little. “Not so much as pretty myself up as adhere to some standard of basic hygiene.” She said snippily, and he smirked. “So may I?”

“Not alone.” He said with a lecherous grin.

It took her a moment, but her mouth dropped open and colour rushed into her cheeks. “Not _alone?”_ She asked incredulously. “You mean I may not bathe unless you are – what, do you wish to _watch?”_

“No indeed, Princess.” He murmured in her ear, invading her personal space. “I intend to _participate_.”

“ _Partici_ -” Zelda broke off, shoulders heaving with her anger. He had no doubt she had some choice words to say to him, and was restraining herself with visible difficulty. “You wish to bathe with me.” She stated flatly, and he nodded.

“I hope.” She began icily. “That my mode of arrival here has not convinced you that I am something I am not.”

“And are you not a whore?” He inquired calmly. “I believe you _were_ educated in all the ways of pleasure before you came to grace my bed.”

She reddened but looked angry. “Who told you that?!” Zelda closed her eyes, as if she regretted admitting it.

“Erlo.” He said with smug pleasure. She was so easy to rile up. He had no doubt it was because she was so on edge, so nervous that he would harm her – she was on the defensive, and that made her tongue _sharp_. Ganondorf supposed that he could threaten her, could warn her not to be so impertinent all the time, but he was having too much fun teasing her to stop.

“That slimy rat.” She mumbled under her breath.

“Here now.” He said sharply. “You know Erlo came and asked me to my face about your welfare? He was quite worried for little Alaria.” Ganondorf leered at her. “He was shaking in his boots, knowing full well his life was at risk for interfering in my private affairs, and yet he still asked. He did that for you and you repay him by calling him names.”

Zelda looked ashamed. “I didn’t know that.” She whispered. “Poor Erlo.”

“Hmph.” He said, seeking to get back to the matter at hand. “The point is, Princess, that you are now knowledgeable in a prostitute’s arts… and I would not object to sampling your wares.”

Her face burned furiously. “You are so _crude_.” Zelda took a deep breath, then pursed her lips. “So this is blackmail. For every little thing I might ask of you, no matter how small, you will make me pay for it. With _intercourse_.” Ganondorf hadn’t thought it possible for her to get any redder, but she managed it as she whispered the last word.

He snorted. “You sound like a medical textbook.”

Zelda frowned and tossed her hair, and then he watched with interest at the expressions crossing her face. She looked like she was attempting to convince herself to do something extremely distasteful. “Very – very well.” She said finally, then looked him in the eye. “I-I am going to bathe. If you should like to join me… you would be very – welcome.”

The princess turned, back ramrod straight, cheeks red, tears glimmering in her eyes, and walked stiffly into his bathing chamber. Ganondorf grinned, enjoying immensely how much it had cost her to say that. Of course, he had no intention of joining her in the bath – for one thing, the tub was too small for them to share. For another, he’d been perfectly serious when he informed her he was adverse to rape. At the moment, he might tease her and threaten it, but he wouldn’t touch her yet. He would wait until she had signed the marriage certificate he had in his pocket, for her sense of duty meant that she would submit herself to him once they were _married_.

Zelda entered the bathing chamber and shut the door firmly behind her, hoping against hope Ganondorf wouldn’t come in. Eyeing the tub, she cursed herself, for now she would have to go back out and ask him to ring for hot water to fill it. Just as she was about to attend to this evil, she noticed a pipe in the wall with a bell pull beside it. Peering curiously at it, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to try, so she pulled the bell. She heard a chime somewhere outside, and put her eye to a small crack in the wall. She could see where the pipe led; it finished up at a small lean-to outside Ganondorf’s quarters – and a simply enormous cauldron was attached to the end of the pipe. With no short amount of relief, she saw a few of his little minions – bulbins? Leap into action, dumping buckets of water from the nearby well into the cauldron while another busily kindled a fire beneath it. She smiled in pleasure – obviously Ganondorf used the bell to signal to his little monsters that he wished to bathe, and they, thinking that their King had rung, were going to provide her with hot water.

Zelda waited for the water to warm, one eye on the pipe and the other on the door. Thankfully, there soon came a shuddering groan, and the pipe wheezed and shook as steaming water came gushing into the tub, and the Demon King was yet to enter the room. Once the tub was full, she stripped hurriedly, wanting to be concealed in the water once Ganondorf entered, and sighed in pleasure as the heat seeped into her bones.

Reaching for a bar of soap on the small table beside the tub, she began to scrub herself industriously, certain that she wouldn’t get much of an opportunity to clean herself once he had invaded her personal space. First, she scrubbed her body and then her hair, and then she stared at the door, waiting for Ganondorf.

He didn’t show.

When she got out, still eyeing the door suspiciously, she was beyond curious. Why hadn’t he come in? Zelda frowned at her wrinkled silk gown, unwilling to put it back on. It was very uncomfortable to sleep and, and yet… and idea came to her as she spotted a pile of clean white shirts resting on a shelf. Pulling one on, she smiled, for once pleased at Ganondorf’s sheer size, for his enormous shirt reached down past her knees, and though she had to roll the sleeves up, it would make her a perfectly serviceable nightshirt. He’d very helpfully left a belt in there as well, so she wound it three times around her waist and fastened it in an attempt to contain the billowing fabric.

When she entered the main room, Ganondorf was gone, and she sagged in relief, then stiffened when he called out to her from her study, his tone brooking no refusal. Setting her shoulders and her chin, Zelda put on her most serene face of confidence and walked into the room.

“Princess.” Ganondorf rumbled from his desk without looking at her. “Come here, I want you to-”

He trailed off in the middle of his sentence, having looked up from the document he was reading and noticed her attire. “You don’t feel you owe me enough already without stealing my property?” He inquired with a raised brow.

“I hardly think I can owe you any more than I already do.” She said softly, and his eyes darkened.

“No. You can’t.” He said shortly, then motioned again at the document on the desk. “Come here.”

Zelda eyed him suspiciously as she walked forwards and stopped just out of reach. “What is it?” She asked, and he shoved it at her.

Picking it up, Zelda gasped as she read the words _‘Certificate of Marriage’_. “Really?” She asked almost breathlessly, sinking down onto an empty chair.

Ganondorf nodded, not looking overly concerned. “You’re going to be difficult otherwise.” He said in the tone of a long-suffering individual. “It makes no difference to me, but if it stops you complaining, well, why not?”

“Why indeed?” She mumbled, reading over the terms. It was a fairly generic marriage licence, with no special terms outlined. “I want this in writing.” She said, giving him a hard glance. “That you will help me restore my throne, and in return, you may rule alongside me as King.”

A flash of something cruel entered his eyes, and she was instantly on her guard. Did that mean he meant to betray her? That he intended to use her to get Hyrule and then do away with her once he was King was a thought constantly on her mind.

“I want it in writing.” She repeated. “I won’t sign anything if the terms are not clear.”

He scowled. “I don’t think you’re in a position to be bargaining, Princess.” He snarled, leaning forwards threateningly.

“Fine.” She said. “Look’s like you’ll have to get Hyrule the hard way then.”

To her utter surprise, the cruel mouth curled up into a grin, and he relaxed into his chair once more.

“To have such spirit in such a position as yours is an admirable thing, Princess.” Ganondorf said lazily. “I admire that.”

Zelda blinked. That was unexpected.

“Write out your terms.” He said, gesturing at a blank sheaf of writing paper. “If I agree with them, I’ll sign.”

That was unexpected too.

Taking up a pen and dipping it carefully in the ink, Zelda was quiet as she wrote out the terms as best she could – terms that would be fair to both of them, and eliminated as many loopholes as she could find. Finally, she was done, and handed them over to her almost-husband.

Ganondorf read them through with a great deal of care, pausing on one in particular.

“ _‘Neither parties will purposefully or maliciously take any action that would harm the other.’_ ” He read out, then cocked a curious brow. “What makes you think Ill adhere to this?”

“To be honest.” She said boldly. “I don’t think you’ll be able to. I just thought I’d give you the benefit of the doubt.”

Ganondorf looked displeased. “I can assure you, Princess, that should I decide to keep you alive, I won’t go back on my word.”

She shrugged one shoulder as elegantly as possible. He did seem to have something of a moral code after all – just a particularly twisted one, though she could see the gleam in his eyes. He was lying, she was sure of it. “Not very promising behaviour in a fiancé, but perhaps you’ll improve yourself as a husband.”

He let out a startled bark of laughter. “You have quite the tongue there.” He said, eyes gleaming. “Tell me, is it wise to provoke me before the deal is done?”

“Probably not.” She admitted. “I apologise. I am – well, it’s been a long few weeks, and I’m dying to be able to relax, but as I doubt that’ll ever happen again, you must resign yourself to finding me highly-strung.”

Ganondorf leaned back in his chair, and she studied his appearance once more. His armour was fierce and intimidating, and only served to make him appear larger. She forced herself to focus as he spoke.

“Will you relax once you’re Queen once more?” He asked, curiosity frank in his tone.

Zelda snorted. “With you as King? Hardly.”

He smirked. “Well then. Let’s get on with it.”

Zelda watched with bated breath as he pulled the marriage licence towards him and signed it with deliberate slowness. Ganondorf shoved it back towards her, and she signed it herself, feeling almost dizzy with relief. It was happening. She was one step closer to getting her throne back – and one step closer to Ganondorf’s bed. This rather disconcerting thought was validated by his next words.

Ganondorf pushed his chair a little further away from the desk and patted his thigh in a manner that was quite clearly supposed to be inviting. It reminded her of being asked to walk into a pool of crocodiles.

“Come here to me, my little whore-bride.” He said, sounding quite pleased with himself.

Zelda narrowed her eyes as she went over her options. She could refuse, but that would surely anger him. Now that he’d signed, he was in effect her husband, and so… Hylian law stated that marriages were not complete until the consummation. She bit her lip hard at this thought, his unpleasantness and downright cruelty overriding any attraction she held to his body. On the other hand… it was in her best interests to keep him happy and pleased with her. It was with this in mind that she stood up, trying to conceal her nerves.

“Please don’t call me that.” She said softly, moving to stand beside him.

Ganondorf merely smirked. “No? How about princess-slut?”

“Neither, please.” She said even more quietly, looking at her bare toes. Ganondorf then did the one thing she’d been afraid of.

“Sit.” He said, patting his thigh once more.

Zelda raised her gaze heavenward and said a quick prayer, then lowered herself gingerly into his lap. He instantly seized her waist and spun her around to face him – her legs on either side of his waist. She went puce at the feel of the bulge in his trousers pressing against the junction of her thighs – from what she could feel, he didn’t seem to be aroused… and yet he was evidently rather large. _Oh dear._

Ganondorf smirked at her as his hand came to rest at the top of her thigh – _beneath_ the shirt she wore. She instantly regretted not putting her gown back on, for the way her legs were splayed now had hitched the hem of the shirt up over her knees, revealing a decent amount of bare thigh.

“So. _Wife_.” Ganondorf began, sounding beyond pleased with how things were progressing. “Hylian law calls for _consummation_ if the marriage is to be valid, correct?”

Zelda nodded, digging her fingers into his chest plate nervously. She didn’t trust her voice anymore.

“Good.” He said in a supremely satisfied tone, then tugged on the hem of her shirt. “Take this off.”

Zelda swallowed hard but nodded. She’d known since she first came up with this plan she would have to sleep with him at some point – she could do this. Surely it wouldn’t be _that_ bad.

Bolstered by that thought, Zelda shifted the heavy gold rope of her braid over her shoulder to hang down her back, then slowly brought her hands to the belt at her waist and unbuckled it, unwound it, and dropped it to the floor.

At his gesture to keep going, Zelda took hold of her hem, took a deep breath, and slowly pulled it up and over her head, revealing her naked body to the Demon King.

His eyes darkened as they fastened onto her breasts, and Zelda shivered slightly under his heady gaze. Ganondorf lifted a hand and brushed his fingers over the curve of her breast, smirking at the gooseflesh that rose at his touch, and then Zelda became aware of his arousal stiffening between her thighs. She swallowed hard then looked up to meet his gaze; Ganondorf grinned at her, then took her hips in his hands and shifted her slightly so the bulge in his trousers was situated exactly in the centre of her sweet spot. She almost frowned at the sensation, but then a gasp was torn from her throat as he continued to grind her hips down over his bulge and the pressure there caused a flash of sensation to erupt between her legs. Ganondorf looked up at her gasp and grinned as though he knew exactly what had happened.

Abruptly, Ganondorf leaned down to take her mouth, and Zelda stiffened, before rationalising that she might as well aim to make things easier for herself, so then she kissed him back. She slid her arms around his neck, which made him grunt and place his own large hands on her skin. Leaving trails of gooseflesh wherever they went, his hands trailed up and down her back, over her hips and down her thighs. He avoided her front, probably because she had her breasts pressed against the cold steel of his chest plate and he couldn’t get his hands in between them.

Ganondorf pulled back, then gently took hold of her shoulders and moved her back a little, and she frowned at the smirk on his face as he eyed her peaked nipples.

“Your armour is cold.” She said by way of explanation.

“I’m sure.” He responded, clearly disbelieving – and very smug. “Either way, I suppose the gentlemanly thing to do would be to take it off, wouldn’t you say?”

Zelda inclined her head once. “If you wish.”

His grin widening, Ganondorf stood up, his hands suddenly under her backside to hold her to him. Off balance, Zelda tipped backwards with an inelegant noise in the back of her throat and grabbed desperately at his armour to stop herself from falling, then pulled herself in close reflexively, looking over her shoulder at the floor. It wasn’t until she went to turn her head back to where she could see the Gerudo King’s face that she realised the motion had pressed her breasts up against his armour again – and he was enjoying it far more than he ought.

Her cheeks heated, Zelda stared at his right elbow as he carried her through the rooms and laid her on his bed. She watched nervously as Ganondorf stood back a bit and began to disrobe. It was quite a lengthy process, and she bit her lip harder the more bare flesh came on display. The final piece of his armour hit the floor, and Ganondorf stood before her clad only in trousers. At length, this final article was disposed of as well, and Zelda looked away when a certain part of Ganondorf’s anatomy came into view.

She gasped when he climbed onto the bed with her, forcing her to move up or be squashed. His body caged hers quite thoroughly, and then Ganondorf seized her around the waist to still her, then dropped his head to her throat. Zelda clenched her fingers on his shoulders as he laved and nibbled at her skin, then gasped when he scored his sharp fangs down her throat.

“Oh!” Zelda blushed harder as the word involuntarily left her throat when he bit down hard in the junction of her neck and shoulder, then jumped when Ganondorf leaned his body a little more heavily against hers, the evidence of his arousal pressed firmly against her thigh.

Abruptly, he sat up and tangled his hand roughly in her hair, forcing her to sit up. “Time to put your whore’s education to good use.” He growled, and shoved her down towards his crotch.

Zelda’s eyes flew wide and she tried to jerk herself backwards.

“Not so fast, Princess.” Ganondorf rasped. “Do your job well and you’ll get your throne back faster.”

 _Wretch!_ She shouted in her mind. _Filthy, blackmailing, manipulative good-for-nothing BASTARD! He_ was going to hold her need for help over her – he was going to use it as leverage to get what he wanted. She glared up at him from where her face was barely an inch from his imposing shaft.

“Just out of curiosity.” She bit out. “If I had come here as a cook, would you make me prepare your dinner?”

Ganondorf gave a shout of laughter. “I doubt it. I value the skill of a whore higher than that of a cook.” His tone was jeering, and she glared harder. _Immoral bloody weasel._

 _Hmph_ , she thought. _If I give him what he wants, he’ll let me go sooner._ Forming a resolution to please him as swiftly as possible, Zelda narrowed her eyes.

“Fine.” She snarled, then lowered her head, trying to recall all that she’d been told about pleasing a man with her mouth. Madam Orla’s advice came back in a rush, and Zelda hesitantly swirled her tongue around the head of his manhood. There was a slight amount of salty fluid at the tip, and she furrowed her brows at the taste of him – it was somehow a thoroughly male flavour.

Recalling what Marjory had told her, Zelda focused on the tip for several long minutes, until the King had made an audible noise, a very male grunt of approval, and then she dipped down to taste the rest of his shaft, running her tongue along the hard length, then lowered herself further to trace along his heavy sack.

His fingers tightened in her hair as she sped up her movements slightly, and then when she had retreated back to the tip to lave at the pearly liquid there, Ganondorf pushed sharply down on her head. With an inelegant _glurk_ , Zelda rather abruptly found the tip of his length hitting the back of her throat, where she promptly choked, eyes watering, and she pushed desperately at his thighs, trying to move backwards.

Ganondorf only pushed her head down further, and she coughed and spluttered as he forced his shaft deeper into her throat, then froze and attempted to breathe through her nose once it became obvious he wasn’t going to release her. She whimpered and squeaked in discomfort as he gripped her hair firmly and moved her head up and down on his arousal, effectively fucking her mouth – there simply wasn’t any other word to describe it. Zelda dug her nails into his bare thighs as he groaned above her, her jaw aching as she tried to stop herself from accidentally biting him – wouldn’t _that_ get her into trouble!

Finally, after what felt like eons, Ganondorf released her. She shot upright like she had been scalded, still spluttering a bit as she massaged her jaw, and to her intense mortification, a long string of drool dribbled out of her mouth to land on her breasts. Zelda looked away, cheeks heated, and swiftly attempted to clean herself.

Looking up, she found the Gerudo King watching her with a contented and amused grin on his face, and then he leaned forwards and seized her around the waist, pulling her into his lap. Zelda bit her lip and stared at him – though she was up on her knees and his arousal wasn’t actually touching her, she was vividly aware of its presence, pointing straight up towards her.

“Not bad.” Ganondorf murmured. “Not the best, but not bad.” He shrugged slightly. “At least you’ve time to practise your cocksucking later.”

Zelda’s cheeks burned at such crudity, and she looked away.

“Now.” Ganondorf continued, sounding extremely pleased with himself. “On with the main event.”

He kissed her then, which was unexpected. Zelda found his kiss rather distracted her from what she had just been doing, and so she welcomed it, threading her fingers into his hair and opening for his tongue. He pulled her closer, and a funny sort of noise escaped her throat when her nipples rubbed up against his bare chest – the sensation was rather like lightening zipping under her skin.

Rather abruptly, Zelda froze, panting hard against his mouth, which she felt curve in a smile as his fingers slipped between her thighs. The other women had explained this particular act in detail – and the fact that a man might use his fingers or his _mouth_ between a woman’s legs had embarrassed her intensely, almost as much as putting her mouth on a man’s shaft had. _Well, I’ve done that and survived_ , she thought, then involuntarily cried out as his fingers found some sensitive place that sent pleasure jolting through her. Pleasure… the word was strange to associate with Ganondorf Dragmire, but she couldn’t deny that was what coursed through her system now.

Where her fingers had once merely rested in his hair they now clutched tight for support, and she broke the kiss in favour of burying her head in his shoulder, a moan overtaking her as heat began to burn through her body. Zelda felt rather than heard Ganondorf’s chuckle as she sped up his movements, rubbing tiny little circles on what she assumed was her ‘sweet spot’, as Orla had called it. A desperate whimper escaped through clenched teeth as her blood began to boil – she felt herself reaching for something, though the feeling was so entirely foreign she didn’t quite know what.

She found herself shifting her hips, moving desperately towards him each time he pulled away, even if it was only a fraction of a millimetre away; she found herself desperate to reach the end – she knew the feeling he was creating ended in orgasm, and now, with tremors rocking her body and whimpers caught in the back of her throat, she wanted nothing more than to reach a peak she had never visited before. Her breath was short, and Zelda cried out once more as the wave began to break over her – and then Ganondorf pulled his fingers away. The wave seemed to stutter and fall at her feet, and she pulled back to stare at him, a confused noise in the back of her throat.

He smirked at her. “Poor little Princess.” He murmured. “Denied her release. Don’t worry, my pretty; you’ll come soon enough.”

Zelda didn’t reply in favour of licking her dry lips as the space between her legs throbbed; she felt almost dizzy with desire, and she wanted nothing more than his clever, wicked fingers back between her thighs.

“Cruel.” She murmured, and Ganondorf chuckled darkly.

“Let me make it up to you, Princess.” He growled in her ear, nipping her lobe with sharp teeth and making her shiver. “Will you let me make you come?”

“Please.” She breathed, no longer caring for much beyond that roaring of blood between her thighs. She ached to have him touch her there again.

Ganondorf’s eyes sparked with lust, and then he lay her down on the bed and took a nipple into his warm mouth, making her cry out. He laved and suckled there until both damp peaks trembled beneath his every touch, and she wound her fingers into his hair in a vain attempt to keep him there.

All too soon, however, he pulled back, eyes burning and sweat-slicked muscles shifting beneath her fingertips as she traced the impressive musculature of his chest. He growled against her lips as he took her mouth once more, and one of his hands gripped her thigh tightly.

“Spread your legs.” He growled, and a thrill ran through her as she complied. She felt the head of his shaft bump lightly at her entrance, and then he didn’t waste any time thrusting inside her. Her whole body stiffened and she cried out in pain, waves of stinging twinges spreading out from his intrusion, though not even half his length was inside her yet.  
“Wait!” She cried, forgetting herself in the pain of being taken for the first time. “No, _don’t_ , it hurts!-”

Ganondorf bent to kiss her once more, his voice guttural and hoarse as he murmured soothingly into her ear. “It’ll pass.”

Zelda dug her nails deeply into his shoulders and bit her lip to stifle her pained cries as he steadily shoved himself deeper, completely disregarding the motion of her body as she involuntarily tried to shy away from the pain. She felt like he was going to split her in two – he was far too big to fit inside her. “It _hurts_.” She cried out, and he kissed her again.

“Focus on the pleasure.” He grunted, and then Zelda blinked in surprise as he lifted his form off her, kneeling on the bed and pushing her legs out wider so he could nestle between them. One of his hands released their biting grip on her thighs and slid to her sweet spot, and Zelda closed her eyes and breathed steadily through the pain as she held as still as she could, every tiny movement only heightening the agony she felt deep in her core. She heard Ganondorf groan something in a foreign tongue, and she bitterly lamented the fact that he could take so much pleasure in her pain. _Focus on the pleasure? Hah._ The only pleasure she felt was that it would soon be over. Hopefully. Her whole body convulsed and twitched as without warning, Ganondorf pulled out and slammed back inside her, rocking his hips so forcefully into hers she realised he’d buried himself to the hilt. Hot tears leaked from her eyes and ran down her cheeks as she dug her nails into the bedding viciously, seeking an anchor as she bit her lip hard enough to taste blood. He’d made her bleed, she was sure of it – it couldn’t hurt that much without having torn her flesh or some other such horror.

However… his fingers were still on her sensitive little button, and after a few long minutes during which Ganondorf remained still, buried deep inside her as he focused, apparently, on bringing her pleasure, she began to feel something other than the pain in her core. Zelda’s breathing sped up as he increased the force with which he touched her, and then the pleasure began to override the pain, making her throw her head back as the pleasurable and erotic sensations began to distract her. Ganondorf had remained still inside her, but when she tilted her hips against his busy fingers he took it as his cue and slowly pulled out before thrusting back in. This action was accompanied by a rush of moisture that made them both groan, and then he took her properly, his hips moving swiftly against her as he pulled her body up from the mattress, suspending her in the air as he thrust with increasing force against her.

Zelda moaned at the delicious friction he caused; she hadn’t known it would feel this _good_. He still felt like he was going to burst her at the seams at any moment, but the vicious sting had morphed into a dull kind of ache that moved to the background of her thoughts. The throb between her legs, having disappeared in the midst of her pain, was returning, and it made her _want_ him inside her. It was like he was pushing her higher with every forceful rock of his hips; pushing her to the top of the mountain and over the peak. His fingers didn’t stop their small tight circles over her most sensitive spot, and her skin felt like it was too tight for her body as she writhed beneath him, wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him deeper, moaning at the added depth this afforded him.

Distantly, she heard Ganondorf snarl viciously as he moved against her harder than ever, and then, as the force of his thrusts were timed perfectly with his fingers on her sweet spot for several long delicious moments, she shattered. Zelda heard herself wail with some curiosity; she hadn’t thought she’d make such a sound, and then sensation took over as she convulsed around Ganondorf’s hard intrusion. He snarled louder and grabbed her thighs, spreading them wide and slamming inside her once, twice, three times, and then as her vision bled white and she gave herself over to her release, she was conscious of him emptying himself inside her.

Ganondorf opened his eyes slowly, unclenching his teeth as the last vestiges of his release left him, and looked down at the young woman beneath him. Zelda wore an amusing expression crossed between confusion, pain and desire, and he slowly withdrew from her, glancing down as he did so, noticing the deep finger shaped bruises he’d left in her otherwise smooth and flawless thighs. The moment he let her go Zelda rolled over and curled herself up in a ball, and he let her – he knew she’d need a moment to sort through what she was feeling.

He, on the other hand, felt wonderful. Ganondorf’s smirk grew in pure satisfaction; he’d just fucked the Princess of Hyrule – and she had enjoyed it, or at least she had liked _parts_ of it, he mused, recalling her pained cries when he first took her. While she certainly wasn’t the best lay he’d ever had, neither was she worst – and she a virgin too. _Not anymore,_ he chuckled to himself, glancing over slightly to see she’d cocooned herself in a blanket. With a little guidance and practice, he had no doubt Zelda would grow into an excellent woman for bedding – tailored to all his own tastes, of course.

Standing up, Ganondorf stretched slightly, then made his way over to the bell pull and yanked it firmly, wanting some revitalising tea after his exertion. He left Zelda alone while waiting for the drink to arrive – he moved back to the bed and lay down on his side with a letter he had to answer in the next day or so. He read and ignored the woman curled up beside him until there came a knock at the door – the tea.

He let the deliverer know he was to come in, and then a bulbin bearing a large tray entered the room, chittering softly in its native tongue. Ganondorf directed the little creature to place the tray on his bedside table, and then lay there appreciating the pungent scent of the spices until his little minion had left the room. Ganondorf then sat up and set about preparing the tea. Tea as enjoyed by the Gerudo was not that weakly flavoured pitiful milk infused leaf water that Hylians drank – no, this was a robust and flavoursome drink, guaranteed to knock your socks off.

First, he ground the tea leaves finely with a small amount of carefully measured out spices, and then roasted them in small pan over a specially made flame, then poured this strongly scented mixture into a small finely meshed bag. This bag was tucked inside a brass sphere covered with geometrically arranged perforations, and then the sphere was dropped inside the kettle to steep.

A few minutes later, the drink was ready, and he poured himself a cup, drinking deeply for a moment and thoroughly enjoying the heat of his native tea coursing through his body. Then, he poured a second cup and turned around to look at Zelda. She was still curled up in a ball, her entire body wrapped in the blanket barring a strip that revealed her eyes as she watched him, deep suspicion etched in their blue depths.

“Tea?” He inquired, holding out the cup, and the suspicion in her eyes deepened for a moment, and then she sat up, wrapping the blanket loosely around her shoulders as she accepted the cup with a quiet “Thank you.”

Ganondorf watched her lazily over the rim of his own cup, curious to see what she would think of Gerudo teas as she took a sip of the drink and immediately coughed, eyes watering, and smirked as she stared down at the cup.

“My goodness.” She murmured to herself, and he smirked wider.

“Can’t handle it?” He inquired politely, and her eyes flashed.

“I dare say you’d like to believe that.” She snapped icily, quite clearly talking about more things than just the drink. “I’m tougher than I look.”

“Let us hope so.” He said, casting a derisive glance over her form. “Else you’ll be gone in a week.”

Zelda glared as she sipped her tea slowly; true to her word, now she was used to the strong flavour it seemed she could handle it after all.

He eyed her curiously, wondering how far he could push the teasing before she snapped; he didn’t know how educated she’d been in the magic arts, and was not inclined to be shot at with light arrows now.

“Come here, my little whore-bride.” He sat, patting the space beside him comfortably. Zelda’s eyes sparked with revulsion and her lip curled, but she moved to obey him. A second later and she winced, her hand automatically fluttering down towards her hips.

 _Ah_. Ganondorf took a sip of his tea, watching as Zelda paused, a pained look on her face. He’d forgotten about that – she was a virgin, and he wasn’t exactly small – she would no doubt be quite stiff and sore at this moment. As she moved again, the blanket gaped open, and in the second before she curled it back around her form he noticed the distinct smear of blood on her inner thighs. He noted this with some detachment – if he were a different man, he knew, he might feel a touch of guilt for hurting her in this way. As it was, he felt nothing more than a sense of deep satisfaction, knowing he’d marked the princess while he ruined her purity.

The thought made him grin, but as she winced again, a small pained sigh leaving her lips, he rolled his eyes. She would no doubt be poor entertainment while blood-covered and in pain. Sitting up, he touched her shoulder to still her movements.

“Sore?” He asked, and she nodded, though her eyes were guarded. “Go and run another bath and soak for a while. You’ll feel better.”

Surprise flashed through her eyes, and he grinned – though he hadn’t yet decided if he ought to treat Zelda abrasively (to keep her so delightfully on her guard) or to treat her with kindness to lull her into false sense of security, he took untold amounts of delight in surprising her with his words and actions, of remaining unpredictable to her.

“Thank you.” She whispered. “I will.”

Zelda climbed off the bed gingerly, her face betraying the soreness between her legs as she walked stiffly and almost bandy-legged to the bathing chambers. A few moments later and he heard the chime of the water bell, and he lay back down to recline on his pillows, sipping his tea thoughtfully. Well. Now he’d done it. The marriage licence had been signed, and the agreement consummated. By Hylian law, Zelda was his wife. _But where to from here?_ He mused. Truth be told, he still hadn’t ruled out simply killing her anyway and taking her Triforce… he’d sated his lust within her body so now, the idea had merit, and yet…

When she’d first proposed her plan, she’d mentioned that her uncle wasn’t good for Hyrule… that the land would fade and wither away if Hylia’s mortal form did not rule. With an uncomfortable realisation that hit far too close to home, Ganondorf realised it was actually quite a similar phenomenon to what had happened in past lives, when he himself had conquered Hyrule – while some misery, he suspected, was due to his own imposing presence beating the will out of the Hylians, and his monsters to make things… unpleasant for them, the land _had_ faded – like its will to live had been sapped. Ganondorf furrowed his brow thoughtfully. Perhaps… he noted that in the past, regents, Kings and Queens had all ruled Hyrule, and yet they had not been a Zelda. They had not borne Wisdom nor been Hylia’s mortal form, and yet… the land had not failed.

He stroked his beard thoughtfully as he considered this conundrum. Clearly, it was because while they had not been the blood the land required, they had not ruled with malicious intent – they had merely been custodians of the land until a Zelda came along again. Somehow, Hyrule could tell the difference, could tell when Zelda had ousted from her throne. _That’s where I’ve been going wrong,_ he realised. Perhaps… it was worth keeping Zelda has his Queen… she would not be in full control, of course, but… if he let her have her say in some matters, if he let her rule alongside him… _not right alongside,_ an inner voice argued, perhaps a little to the left and down a bit. Maybe he’d actually keep Hyrule for longer, and maybe just maybe, with Zelda there as Hylia’s mortal form to fulfil whatever ridiculous requirement the land so obviously needed… he could be King, and keep his throne.

His lips curled up in a smile, and Ganondorf wondered why he’d never thought of this before. Obviously it was because the very idea of marrying Princess Zelda was really rather distasteful, but now… it was so _obvious_ , that _this_ was the answer to all the problems that arose once he was King of Hyrule. Yes, Zelda might not like it, but he wasn’t going to let her go now.


	5. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda has now been with Ganondorf for a month, and now the moment of truth has arrived - it's time to invade Hyrule.

Zelda eyed Ganondorf thoughtfully over the top of her book, and considered him. She’d now been here for just a little under a month, and today he was in a very good mood. She could only suppose he’d received good news, for he _had_ had a letter earlier that morning. Living in such close quarters with him had been rather uncomfortable at first, but as time wore on, she was getting more and more used to it. His moods fluctuated rather unpredictably, and he could become ragingly furiously angry at the drop of a hat, but all in all, it wasn’t quite as bad as it could have been.

Right now, Ganondorf was sitting at his desk in his study, only he’d left the door open, so she had a clear view of him frowning over his papers and scribbling furiously. Since about a week past her initial arrival, Ganondorf had thrown himself into rearranging his plans. He wouldn’t tell her what he’d been doing with his armies up along here near the Goron’s territory, but she supposed that seeing as that plan had been done away with, it didn’t really matter.

Now, he was plotting his advance into Hyrule with one principle difference – she would ride at his side. Ganondorf had informed her that he wanted to see her uncle Tiber’s face when he beheld her, not only alive, but having joined forces with the enemy to steal his stolen throne.

It was this thought that was giving her worry at the moment – it was all well and good to wish to see Tiber’s face once he realised she was with the Demon King, but what about the rest of her people? What about the courts reactions when she returned as a Queen, but with a King in tow as well? It would be different, she knew, if she had enlisted the aid of Labrynna or Holodrum, or even Calatia, and brought home the Princes of that country as her King – they would be welcomed as Hyrule’s saviour. She highly doubted Ganondorf would be called anything of the sort.

Still, she’d given herself to the Demon King, and so there was little point in wondering what could have been, particularly seeing as she had considered those options, and prayed she might go to them for help, but it was not to be – while she was sure they would have aided her if they could, Hyrule was a far bigger kingdom, and their military might was almost unparalleled. The only person who had a hope of defeating them, was, as he had proved quite a few times over the centuries, was Ganondorf.

She sighed lightly, wishing for the umpteenth time that she knew where Link was – with his unflagging sense of duty, his strong moral code – the Hero of Courage surely would have helped her – he surely would not stand for her uncle’s behaviour.

But he was gone.

Turning away, Zelda sighed deeply, trying to supress the deeply maudlin feelings that washed over her – for better or for worse (much worse, she thought) she’d signed her life away to the Gerudo King, and now she could only wait and see where that decision took her.

In truth, she was not quite so angry at the fact that she had needed to come to the Demon King for help as she was at the fact the she couldn’t help herself. She felt so weak! But the advisors and the nobles and the ministers who made up the Hylian court – most of them were in her uncle’s pocket. She knew corruption was rife there, and that was why when the assassination attempt had occurred and she had escaped, she had not dallied in the castle grounds, or even in Castle Town. She’d immediately made her escape, seeking shelter in a separate province altogether, so she could be assured of a little privacy during which she could figure out what she could do.

Zelda had considered sneaking back into the castle to confront her uncle, but this presented its own difficulties. She wasn’t twenty-one yet, and so even if it was resolved peacefully (or violently) she couldn’t take the throne legally anyway. Not for three more months.

“Princess.”

Zelda looked up as Ganondorf spoke.

“Yes?” She called, wondering if he wanted her to get up.

“Come in here.”

He did then. Setting aside her book, she stood up and walked into the study to sit down in a chair in front of his desk, adjusting her skirts as she did so. Ganondorf had taken a bizarre amount of pleasure in making her go about in only her rumpled silk gown, and one of his shirts as a nightgown. Although more often then not she ended up forsaking the use of that particular garment, she thought with a slight flush to her cheeks. Ganondorf had proved to be quite eager in taking _all_ the benefits of married life. Roughly a week ago, however, he’d surprised her with a package of new gowns – and undergarments. The gowns were nice enough, though they certainly weren’t like anything she would have worn in the castle, but the undergarments… her cheeks warmed more at the thought, for he’d taken particular delight in gifting her the skimpiest, most revealing garments he could possibly find – the kinds of stockings, garters, corsets and chemises a whore would wear; a particularly high class kind of whore, but a whore nonetheless.

He frowned at her over her the sheaf of papers he was holding. “Why’re you blushing?”

Her eyes widened slightly, pulling her from her recollections of last night in particular. “It’s… a little warm in here.” She said lamely.

Ganondorf raised a brow but didn’t comment.

“Here.” He said, offering her the sheaf. “I’m pretty sure this is the final version. I’ve finally figured out what route to take and so on when I take Hyrule.”

Zelda raised a brow at the ‘I’, but didn’t mention it as she took the papers and skimmed over them.

“How are you going to get to the castle?” She inquired, tracing the path he’d drawn on a map. “Without my uncle having been notified, I mean.”

“Well.” He said, leaning back in his chair. This was something he did a lot, and she suspected it was to put the person he was speaking to ill at ease, seeing the Demon King so careless before them. “I’ve two options, and I haven’t yet decided which one I’ll take. The first option is using magic of some kind, an illusion, perhaps, or a shade to cover the eyes of the people as my army moves in.” Ganondorf paused, and a feral grin unfurled over his face. “The second option is much more fun. This option involving giving my monsters full reign to terrorize the countryside and bring darkness back to Hyrule.” The grin he gave her spoke of just how much he’d enjoy that little scenario. “But I suppose you wouldn’t like that much?”

“On the contrary.” Zelda leaned forwards and rested her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands, manners be damned. “I think that’s exactly what you should do. Cause as much trouble as you can, and let my uncle and all the men at court in his pocket know what’s coming for them.”

Ganondorf’s eyes gleamed as he leaned forwards, resting an elbow on the desk in a posture that mimicked hers. “You bloodthirsty little viper.”

She grinned at him, but then her smile faded. “That being said, I hope your troops won’t be. I don’t want any of my people to lose their lives over this. They had nothing to do with anything. Promise me that at least.”

Ganondorf rolled his eyes. “Why would I do that?”

“Because I asked you too.” She put as much innocent pleading into her expression as she possibly could, and waited as his mouth hitched up into an irritated expression.

“That’s not a good enough reason.”

“Why not? I don’t see why you would want to harm the land myself. It will soon be your own territory, your kingdom, so why damage it? Why kill your own citizens?”

He scowled. “They are Hylians. I don’t care if they die.”

“Okay.” Zelda studied him thoughtfully. “There must be something I can say or do that you would accept in return for giving me your word.”

Ganondorf raised a brow. “You think so?

“I’m sure you can think of something.” She said primly. “Just… please? I don’t want… people are going to hate me enough for bringing you back as my husband… I don’t want them to blame me for the slaughter of my own citizens as well.”

He leaned back in his chair and was still for a few minutes, clearly thinking as he played with a strand of his hair, hanging loose over his shoulders. “I can’t deny I don’t know what you mean.” He said at last. “You obviously wish to pay for my obedience with your body.”

Zelda looked down. “If that is your price.” She looked up again with a steely glint in her eye. “I would do anything for my people, you know that. It’s why I’m here.”

He nodded. “I know. An irritating quality, but admirable nonetheless.”

“Irritating? Then you disapprove?” Zelda frowned at him. “I must say you are quite the hypocrite, or are you saying that were your people threatened, you’d not lift a finger to help them?”

Rage flashed in his eyes and he slammed his fist down on the table. “ _Don’t_!” He roared.

Zelda shrank down in her chair. Obviously, she’d just hit a nerve. She made a mental note not to bring that specific circumstance up again. Ganondorf was glaring at her now, and she mentally kicked herself. Now he’d be even less inclined to give her his word.

“The problem is, Princess-” He said carefully, and she realised he wished to completely forget what had just been said, and she did not object. “-that what you ask of me is not exactly feasible. My men, my troops, my monsters, they all live for violence and slaughter. Why do you think they follow me? They _like_ killing, and they won’t stop just because you bat your pretty little eyes at _me_.”

“So it’s hopeless.” She sighed, but then a thought occurred to her. “Wait a moment. You said option one – to use magic to conceal the advance of your troops… how would you have managed that? How would your magic hide the slaughter and destruction?”

He frowned. “You raise a valid point. However much you might doubt it, my troops do understand the need for stealth. They can abstain for some time, but I do have to promise them free slaughter once our target is reach and our cover removed.”

“I see.” Zelda frowned and traced a few shapes on the desk. “So either my uncle shivers in his boots for however long it takes to reach the castle, and my people suffer needless violence, or your troops passed through the land unseen, leaving my uncle ignorant.” She raised a brow. “I think either choice leaves much to be desired.”

Ganondorf chuckled. “I could have told you that, though I think my reasoning would be rather opposite to yours.”

“So what say you?” She asked, leaning forwards on her elbows again. “You wish to burn a path of destruction through my kingdom?”

“ _My_ kingdom.” He corrected absently, and she narrowed her eyes.

“How about we are both wrong, and I say ‘ _our_ kingdom’ instead?” Zelda suggested.

He shrugged one massive shoulder. “I suppose it’s a reasonable compromise.”

“And now I beg of you to do the same. I have studied extensively of your previous attempts to conquer Hyrule, and I have noted the common factors that arise when you allow your troops to lay waste to the land. Have you ever considered that some of which causes your rule to fail is that the devastation impacts so negatively on all aspects of life?”

He was scowling now, but she ploughed bravely on.

“I don’t just mean the death of my people. What about the economy, trade, food production, just supplies in general? It is not a very auspicious start to your rule when all your new citizens are starving to death and the land is dying because you destroyed all the things they need to survive.”

“Bossy little thing you are.” He muttered. “You think you’re so wise…”

“I _am_ wise.” Zelda said patiently, holding up her Triforce to prove her point. “Let me counsel you on matters you may not care to think of, and trust in my Wisdom to guide us both right.”

Ganondorf was quiet for a moment as he stroked his beard. “First you tell me to cause as much trouble as I can. Then, you say I am not permitted to slaughter or cause destruction in any way. Make up your mind.”

Zelda frowned at him. “Threaten them. Let them know what will happen should they attempt to fight back, but do so in a way that effectively stops any attempts to do so. I am perfectly serious when I say that I don’t want to see any of my people killed. That being said, I know that loss of life is unavoidable in war… all I’m asking is that death is not caused where it is not necessary.”

“Fine.” He said.

Zelda’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Really?”

“Really.” Ganondorf smirked at her. “I want to get to Hyrule Castle as soon as possible. Not having to worry about the outer provinces will actually turn out to be rather convenient. As much as widespread destruction would be far more enjoyable… I suppose you are right. I do not want my rule to fail.”

She smiled happily. “Thank you.” Zelda said warmly. “I’m very pleased, and very grateful.”

He nodded. “Alright, so we’ll set off on the 24th.”

“The 24th?!” Zelda exclaimed. “That’s only a fortnight away!”

He raised a brow. “Too soon?”

“ _Yes_.” She said firmly.

Ganondorf stared at the princess for a long moment. “What are you talking about?” He asked blankly. “I thought you’d want to get back to the castle as soon as possible.” He raised a suggestive brow. “Unless you want to stay here with me?”

She flushed and scowled. “No, it’s not that, it’s just… I can take the throne legally until I’m twenty-one. I know… technically it won’t matter if we both drive my uncle out, because you can rule for both of us until then… but I really think it will make things easier for everyone if the court sees that I am in control.” Zelda swiftly held up a hand to stop his interruption as he opened his mouth. “Please let me finish. I do intend, of course, for us to rule _together_ , but I think at the start at least, it will be better to… let me do the talking, so to speak.”

Ganondorf steepled his fingers and simply watched her for a moment, deep in thought. So she wanted to take the path of least resistance, that much was clear. Zelda was worrying about the reaction of her court – they wouldn’t like him being there, not at all… and he would enjoy that.

“When do you turn twenty one?” He inquired.

“On the 3rd of May.” She said. “In a little under three months.”

“No.” He said, reaching for a piece of paper. “We leave as planned.”

Zelda frowned slightly. “May I ask why you won’t consider waiting?”

Ganondorf leaned forwards. “Because I don’t want to wait.” He said darkly, and she scowled. “Besides, you seem to be under the impression that I would _want_ to make things easier for the Hylians.”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “You are impossible.” She said with a disgusted shake of her head.

He smirked at her. “By the way, your horse arrived today.”

Zelda frowned. “My horse?”

He was struck by sudden suspicion. “You _can_ ride, can’t you?”

“Yes, but why do I – oh, never mind.”

Ganondorf smirked at her. “Just got it, did you?”

Zelda ignored that. “Thank you. When will I see – is it a mare?”

“A gelding. And you’ll see him on the day we leave.”

“Oh.” She was quiet for a moment. “I am grateful, of course, for the clothes you have gotten me already, but I won’t be able to ride in this-”

“I’ve thought of that.” He said. “Do you remember that woman who came and took your measurements?”

Curiosity fired in her face. “Yes – was that what that was for?”

He inclined her head. “Your armour will be here sometime next week.”

Zelda looked even more curious. “Armour? Why did you do that?”

He snorted. “Can’t have you dressed in rags alongside the magnificence that is me. You’ll spoil the effect.”

Zelda laughed then. “You are so vain.” She said, but strangely enough, he heard affection rather than derision. “So what does my armour look like?”

He waved a hand. “I outsourced it to one of my men, who went to a Hylian smith in Eldin. So, I don’t actually know what it looks like, save it has been designed for a woman.”

“I see.” Zelda tilted her head. “And this means I will be doing what, exactly?”

Ganondorf rolled his eyes. She was always making him spell things out. “You’ll ride alongside me. That’ll make a nice contrast, won’t it? Your horse all gleaming white next to my stallion, who is of course, black as sin. It’s almost poetic.”

She grinned. “It is indeed. So my horse is a grey? How lovely. I haven’t had a grey since my first fat little pony when I was five.”

He raised a brow. “And were you equally as fat?”

Zelda frowned. “Maybe I was a chubby little girl.” She said, voice frosty. “What’s it to you?”

He grinned just enough to feel the tip of his fangs slip over his bottom lip. “Lost the puppy fat, did you?”

“Well, I don’t think much of your manners.” Said Zelda with a small sniff. “Did no one ever tell you it’s rude to comment on a lady’s weight?”

He chuckled slightly. “You should have kept it on. You’re thin as a twig.”

She scowled. “Excuse you?”

“A woman should have more in the way of breasts and hips. You’re all bone.” He leaned back in his chair to appraise the effects these words had on her. Zelda was frowning at him, her arms crossed defensively, effectively hiding her breasts from him. While she was certainly nothing to a Gerudo woman, who as a rule were thicker than Hylian woman, Zelda wasn’t actually all that terrible to gaze upon in the flesh. She was very slender, to be sure, but her body held a softness that gave her a very appealing feminine vibe, and despite her petite stature, the curves of her body were still all woman, the fullness of her breasts fitting perfectly into the curve of his hands. Ganondorf allowed himself a momentary daydream in which Zelda’s breasts featured prominently; she was thoroughly dislikeable in all her habits and mannerisms, but he couldn’t deny he wasn’t enjoying the perks of married life immensely.

“Your opinion isn’t everything.” She said, clearly insulted.

Ganondorf chuckled. “To me it is. Come here.”

Zelda simply raised a brow. “Oh, I don’t think so. You insult me like that and expect me to come to you?” She stood up, looking like the picture of graceful severity. “Come and find me when you can be civil. Until then, enjoy the company of your books.”

He watched with an amused grin as she walked out of the room stiffly, curling back up in her chair with her book. Zelda was a prickly little hedgehog, and by the Gods, it was fun putting up her spikes.

Eying his desk once more, Ganondorf grunted in satisfaction – he was done planning and organising for the day. Piercing golden eyes slowly flickered upwards and focused lazily on the princess, and against the gloom of the room, the corner of his mouth slowly ticked up.

Standing up, Ganondorf prowled towards her – Zelda was surely sulking, and he enjoyed flipping her perception of him, confusing her as to his true thoughts and feelings – what better way than to bed her now? Zelda looked up from her book and eyed him suspiciously.

“Going to be pleasant now, are we?” She inquired sweetly, and the corner of his mouth hitched up.

“ _Very_ pleasant.” He growled, then dropped to his knees before her. His height meant he was now exactly level with her head, and he took full advantage, reaching out to grab her form and tug her into his kiss. She made a startled noise, and with some effort, withdrew enough to whisper furiously at him.

“What are you doing?”

Ganondorf supressed a smirk and shrugged one shoulder. “I insulted you, Princess. Let me make it up to you.”

Zelda stared at him for a moment longer, then shook her head slightly, an exasperated look on her face. “I don’t understand you at all.” She said petulantly, and he grinned.

“That’s what I like to hear.”

Grinning at her, Ganondorf slowly edged her skirts higher up her thighs, teasing her alluringly sheer chemise up as he went, then very carefully laid his hands over the top of her silk stockings, letting his thumb rub the garters. Zelda was very pink as she watched these goings on with evident if unwilling fascination. Sliding her skirts up further, he grinned with pointed fangs at her as he revealed her tangle of blonde modesty, silently applauding the Hylian fashion of going bare beneath their skirts. He supposed it was so they could go to the bathroom in a reasonable timeframe, rather than having to buggerise around with endless undergarments. At any rate, it certainly meant easy access, and so he wasn’t inclined to complain.

Sliding his hands back a bit so they were under her hips, Ganondorf looked up to meet her gaze and give her a wicked grin, before pulled her towards him so quickly her shocked squeal turned into a moan when he ran his tongue firmly over her bare flesh. Zelda was very responsive, and as her fingers threaded into his hair, dislodging his thorned crown enough that it fell down his back to clatter on the floor, her arousal began to make itself known, her essence slick on his tongue. Ganondorf bit back a groan at the taste of her, fresh and sweet, and concentrated his efforts on bringing her to the pinnacle of bliss, where he kept her for the remainder of the afternoon.

 

* * *

 

All too soon, the day of the invasion arrived. Zelda could scarcely believe it herself… but it was happening. The troops had been rallied, trained, fed and watered, and they were raring to go. She stood just inside the door of his quarters, watching through the crack of the door as Ganondorf made his address to the troops. She didn’t understand half of it, of course, for the words he was roaring (and having roared back by the very excited army) were in their native tongues.

A human soldier walked up to the door then, leading, as promised, a grey gelding. This magnificent beasts’ hide shone pure white, and Zelda stifled a grin; Ganondorf had been right – besides his monstrous ebony stallion, her far more fine boned steed would look poetic indeed. She reached out a hand and let the gelding sniff her fingers, becoming acquainted with her horse for the first time. She was a little apprehensive about riding him for the first time today, but Ganondorf had assured her the horse was well trained and quiet – he doubted the thing would misbehave. As it was, she’d asked if she could at least a quick trial run on the grey before the day of the invasion had arrived, but he had refused.

Ganondorf mounted his steed, and that was her cue; Zelda accepted a leg up from the man who held her horses’ nose, and then she was in her saddle, and rode up to take her place beside the Demon King. The troops nearest to them fell quiet as she approached, and she hid a grin, wondering what it looked like to them; a young, obviously Hylian woman dressed in gleaming silver plate armour astride a white horse beside their dark master.

Ganondorf grinned smugly once as Zelda reined in her horse beside him – the effect was magnificent. Her mere presence beside him was literally rendering his troops silent.

“And now-” He bellowed in the tongue his men had developed amongst themselves – it was an unusual mishmash of pretty much all the languages of all the different men and monsters that made up his army. Linguistically, it was a complete mess, but realistically, it got the job done, and allowed probably ninety percent of his men to converse amongst themselves. The rest had to rely on their conversational betters to translate. “-to show you all why Hyrule will certainly be ours. How can we fall, when we hold the trump card?” Ganondorf gestured triumphantly at the princess, who looked at little discomforted by the attention, and roared the last words. “I give you – _Princess Zelda_.”

There was an shocked silence for a moment, and then all hell broke loose as they all broke rank, cheering and cavorting around – now their victory was guaranteed if their master had the Princess of Hyrule under his control. When Ganondorf heard some of the very crude things being shouted about the princess and very particular parts of her anatomy, he considered it a blessing she didn’t understand their speech, for she’d most likely be offended into the next century. He barked an order to the closest commanding officer, and as the order was spread from one officer to the next, some semblance of orderliness began to sweep over the troops again.

Ganondorf eyed this sight with approval, then turned to Zelda, who had been watching these events with some curiosity.

“Well Princess.” He said in Hylian, conscious of the curious stares of his closest officers. “Is it up to your standards?”

The smile she flashed him was almost blinding. “It is indeed. Thank you.”

“Then shall we be off?”

“Please.”

Ganondorf raised his hand, and the commanders of his army began shouting orders as he turned his horse towards the kingdom of Hyrule.

They rode.

 

* * *

 

“HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED!?”

Several advisors dodged the shower of broken glass that fell with a chime that belayed the violent circumstances of its demise on the polished marble floor.

King Tiber of Hyrule, first of his name, ran a hand roughly through his usually neatly arranged hair, making it stand on end, turning with a swirl of robes to face the men clustered in his throne room.

“How did she do it?” He bawled, and the messenger who had brought him the news cringed.

Tiber snarled under his breath. Zelda – his niece had always been sneaky, but this! Not only had the assassination attempt that would have made him King for life failed – _despite_ being a told it was foolproof, she had escaped the kingdom entirely!

And gone to the Demon King.

It had been three weeks since Hyrule had been invaded by Ganondorf Dragmire’s army, and the most alarming reports were flowing in, of widespread destruction amongst his more western provinces – and the army was making steady progress towards the castle.

Perhaps most alarming of all was not Ganondorf Dragmire, but rather the avenging angel who rode at his side – the gloriously beautiful Hylian woman who rode a white steed, and tempered the Gerudo King’s rage enough that the death toll was not anywhere as high as it might have been.

Zelda was so desperate to get her hands on the throne, she’d gone and given herself to the Demon King. Tiber snorted at this, conveniently overlooking the fact that it was his desperation to keep the throne that had seen him try to murder his niece and had driven her to Dragmire in the first place.

The one thing Tiber knew for sure was that they both must die. Dragmire – that was a matter of course, they all knew the man deserved death for his atrocities, but in his eyes, Zelda had betrayed her country. She helped Dragmire invade, and rode alongside him. She was no longer fit to rule, and she would be put down like the dog she’d revealed herself to be. Tiber turned to his advisors.

“Have the Hylian troops recalled from the countryside.” He said, to general alarm.

“Sire! The provinces! The people! They’ll be defenceless!”

He nodded. “It’s a heavy price to pay, but it must be done. Zelda rides with the Demon King and cools his wrath enough that his armies only destroy, they do not kill.” He paused. “Much, anyway. They are clearly coming here to take the castle – we need all the defence we can possibly get. Dragmire’s forces are massive, and theoretically, with nothing to challenge him in the provinces, he may just be content with marching through and continuing here for the final showdown.”

His advisors spent half an hour trying to convince him otherwise, but Tiber was set in his decision. The order went out that same evening, and by the next day, all the Hylian soldiers who’d been defending the people living in the provinces were on the move, abandoning their posts to retreat to the capitol, to defend the castle.

Tiber retreated to the rooms his brother had once shared with his wife, the rooms Zelda was supposed to have taken on her twenty first birthday – _no. It’s better this way,_ he thought to himself. _She has betrayed us all._


	6. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically this is the calm before the storm - shit is gonna go down in the next chapter. Enjoy the smut while it lasts!
> 
> Contains a NSFW scene.

Zelda wrinkled her nose as she chewed a particularly tough piece of cucco – the little creatures in charge of cooking for Ganondorf took delight in serving him the most succulent, plump breasted fowls they could find, and positively jumped for joy to see her battle to get through a mouthful of withered, age-toughened dry old hide.

Across the fire from her, Ganondorf smirked, and she eyed the perfectly cooked piece of lovely moist cucco he’d just torn off the bone and was chewing contentedly with some jealousy. He raised a brow at her.

“What?”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “We’ve been travelling for three weeks now, and in all that time I don’t think I’ve eaten anything aged under a century.”

He snickered to himself. “Can’t blame them for taking some delight in these events.”

“More to the point, you do as well.” She said pointedly, and his grin widened, revealing the tips of pointed fangs.

“You got me.”

“Hmph.” Zelda stood up and threw the rest of her uneaten cucco in the fire. “I’m going to bed. No point in staying up when the dinner’s inedible.”

She ignored Ganondorf’s chuckle as she entered their tent – he made them share, a fact that had travelled around the troops the first night like wildfire, and though she couldn’t understand their remarks the next day, the way they looked at her and jeered, slimy gazes focusing blatantly on her breasts and – other places, meant she had no doubt of what they were saying.

Sighing slightly, Zelda sank down on the rough pallet of blankets that served as a bed and began to unbraid her hair. Since it was evening, she’d already relieved herself of her armour, and was instead wearing the simple tunic and britches that went underneath, and now she removed them, replacing them with one of the nightgown’s Ganondorf had purchased for her, though it was less a nightgown and more a sheer instrument of a gentleman’s pleasure – it hid essentially nothing, and if it wasn’t for the fact she preferred sleeping with the feel of fabric over her skin, she’d have gone without, for it was essentially the same as sleeping nude.

Taking the brush to her hair, she found herself lost in thought as she combed it smooth, working to untangle the knots formed from a hard days ride. She’d just finished rebraiding it for bed when Ganondorf shouldered his way into the tent. Built for ordinarily sized human beings, he had to stoop when inside or risk popping his head and shoulders right through the ceiling – this meant he almost immediately sat down when inside, and remained sitting, even when dressing. Zelda grinned at him as the Gerudo King collapsed in a heap beside her on the pallet – she took a small amount of secret delight in seeing him discomforted like this. Let him be uncomfortable for once.

As per usual when it was nightfall, he was dressed only in his boots and trousers, and yet this was evidently far too much clothing, for he shucked them immediately, lying down fully exposed on the bedding. Zelda flicked him a dry glance then turned away.

“Must you?” She inquired as she tied the bow in her hair. “I’ve just eaten.”

There was a dangerous silence behind her, and she barely stifled a giggle.

“…Did you really just say what I think you just said?” Came the incredulous inquiry.  
  
“If the shoe fits.” Zelda said delightedly.

“Little bitch. I’ve really no idea why you insist on being so cheeky. You do realise I might have agreed to this, but I can rescind that offer at anytime.”

Zelda’s smile faded at the curt tone of his voice – he was serious. Swallowing her sudden worry, she turned to face him. “My apologies, Sire.” She said softly, annoyed at him. He was a confusing man – sometimes he seemed delighted when she teased him back, and other times he seemed greatly offended. Like now. “I forgot my place and that was wrong of me.” At Ganondorf’s vague grunt of approval, she laid a hand on his hip, inching towards his manhood, which she saw twitch in interest the closer she went. “Will you allow me to make up for my insult?” She asked, and turned her gaze from his crotch to his face, where, though his face was in shadow, she could make out his piercing golden eyes watching her intently.

“By all means.” He said, voice low. “If you think you can.”

There – that was the threat. Zelda could have kicked herself for being so careless. Well – she could think about that later. Now was time to remedy her wrongs.

Zelda stroked the skin at the base of his shaft lightly, taking care to position herself where he got an eyeful of her breasts at all times, then took hold of his length, running her fingers softly along it until he had begun to thicken, waiting for his grunt of approval. When Ganondorf relaxed properly into the pillows, she had her cue to grip him properly as he stiffened before her very eyes, tracing her fingers along the prominent veins as he raised a hand to his crown and pulled it from his hair, placing it on the floor beside him. That was something he did only when quite relaxed, so Zelda smiled down at him, pleased at the result her actions were eliciting.

She stroked him softly until he was fully hard, and when salty fluid beaded at the tip, she leaned down and caught it with her tongue before it ran down the side, making him groan. His hand threaded into her hair to direct her, and Zelda knew what he wanted – swirling her tongue around the tip of his shaft, she leaned further down as she took him into her mouth, swallowing as much down as she could. His size meant she couldn’t fit much in, but she slid her tongue past her teeth as he hit the back of her throat, meaningly he could fit a little more in. Ganondorf’s grip tightened in her hair as she began to bob up and down, holding her jaw as wide open as she could and trying to pleasure him as much as possible before the ache became too much to bear.

Ganondorf’s hand suddenly disappeared from her hair and grabbed her right hand where it lay on his hip and dropped it into her lap, pushing it down towards the v of her thighs. Zelda would have smiled if she could, knowing exactly what he wanted. His hand burrowed back into her hair again and pushed sharply down, sending his length deep into her throat and only increasing the depth when he flexed his hips upwards, but Zelda bore it, eyes watering, as she began to lift her hem enough to slip her hand beneath her skirts. Ganondorf made her pleasure herself sometimes, and while it had been at first intensely embarrassing to touch her most intimate places while he watched, it was quite fascinating to her that she had the ability to bring herself to orgasm if she really wanted. This was obviously what he wanted now, so Zelda parted her thighs to allow her hand to wedge between them, her fingers finding her folds and slipping in between to stroke softly.

She was slick with arousal already, and moved her hips a little closer to her own questing fingers, conscious of Ganondorf’s eyes on her as she found her sensitive button and began to rub it slowly, giving a little whimper around his length as a spike of arousal ran through her.

“Make yourself come.” Came his rasping voice from above her. “I want to see you come all over those pretty fingers.”

Those words only aroused her further, and Zelda had to let go of his shaft for a moment as she leaned her head against his side and moaned, thighs trembling, as her arousal only grew. Heat burned through her veins and she closed her eyes tightly, her fingers deft against her wet flesh. She made a valiant effort to return to his shaft, managing to take the tip back into her mouth for a few seconds before she was forced to let go as she cried out, the now familiar waves of her orgasm tickling at her toes. Her free hand came up to knead her breasts, and she very distantly heard Ganondorf’s gasp as she teased her already taut nipples tighter through her sheer chemise. Abruptly, something snapped inside her and a wail of pure pleasure escaped her throat as her mind ran white with sensation, electricity prickling over her skin as she came. Zelda slumped against Ganondorf’s side, his shaft pulsing hot against her cheek as she lay there and rode the wave, her fingers clenched tightly against her sweet spot as she tightened her thighs and moaned in pleasure.

When she came to, she opened her eyes to find Ganondorf watching her with predatory interest, his hand wrapped around his shaft, stroking slowly. Zelda gave him a very relaxed smile as she brushed her fingers over his.

“That’s my job.” She whispered, her voice low and hoarse from her arousal. Ganondorf’s eyes sparked with lust as he removed his hand and gestured to the hard length jutting proudly towards the sky.

“Be my guest.” He said, and she gave him a shy grin, still feeling the throb of her orgasm deep within. Zelda moved slowly, luxuriously as she straddled his hips, moving above his shaft and bracing herself on his well-defined abdominals as she lifted the hem of her nightgown and took his shaft in hand, lining him up carefully with her entrance as she lowered herself down. Zelda sighed in sheer pleasure as the bulbous head of his engorged length split her nether lips, and smiled at his groan as she sank down further, her wetness easing his passage inside her. It was far easier now to take him inside her – while she still suspected she’d be more suited to someone of smaller stature, she’d learned that the trick was to ensure she was properly aroused before even attempting it – it hurt too much otherwise to be stretched so while unprepared. Even so, the stretch was almost unbearable, but in a very pleasurable way, not painful now.

Ganondorf gritted his teeth as Zelda very slowly sank down onto him, her impossible tightness enveloping his cock entirely. She looked incredibly arousing dressed as she was in her sheer nightgown, her breasts perfectly visible through the fine material, her taut nipples peaking the fabric and drawing his gaze like a magnet. He could feel the throb of her release deep within – the slow yet strong contractions that gripped his cock like a vice and drew him in. Zelda twitched her hips, no more than halfway down his shaft, a slight whimper in the back of her throat as she somehow clamped down even tighter. He groaned and arched his hips upwards into hers, lifting her body into the air. Zelda threw her head back and cried out as the motion forced him deeper inside her, her voice high-pitched and clearly needy.

Growling with the need to feel his whole length inside her, Ganondorf reached up and grabbed her hips, bucking his up at the same moment he pulled her down, seating himself fully inside her. Zelda made a noise that was very nearly a needy scream, and she tipped backwards even further, bracing her hands on his thighs as she leaned back. Unable to take much more of this delectable torture, Ganondorf sat up, sliding his hands to Zelda’s back and pulling her upright. She immediately wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as he moved up on his knees, sliding her arms around his neck as she wailed loudly into his chest. He seized her hips and began to move her, slamming her up and down on his cock without a single thought for her own pleasure, or even her pain – her loud whimpers and moans were his backdrop, a thought at the back of his mind as he pushed towards his own release, her wetness so tight around him it blocked all rational thought. Dimly, he was aware of Zelda letting go of his neck with one arm, her hand snaking down between them and then all of a sudden her cries doubled in volume and pitch as she found her clit and massaged it intently. Her tightness increased until he thought he’d explode on the spot, but as Ganondorf tightened his grip on her hips and moved her faster, the friction of her warmth around his cock almost driving him insane, Zelda did. She shattered around him with a scream, her hips writhing in his grip and her wetness clamping down around him with such force he was simply unable to hold on. With a loud groan, he followed her, tipping them both over and driving the princess into the bedding, hips working to loose his seed as deep inside her as possible.

When he went to pull out and roll onto his back, Zelda went with him, still clinging to his chest. He frowned at her as she lay there gasping, his cock still inside her – not that he was complaining about that. 

“Are you okay?” He inquired, and she nodded, chest heaving beneath her sheer nightgown as she tried to get her breathing under control.

“Oh yes – I just need a moment.” She got out, and turned to bury her face in his throat.

Ganondorf preened – was this not utter proof he was just so good in the sack he was able to render her entire body useless after? He lay there in utter satisfaction for some minutes, until Zelda finally rolled off him and lay on her back tucked into the crook of his arm, her expression rather resembling a stunned mullet. 

“Now?” He asked, and she looked a trifle embarrassed. 

“Mm, I’m fine – it’s just… that was rather intense.”

She blushed red, and he basked in smug self-congratulation. Never in his wildest imaginings would he ever have thought he and the Princess of Hyrule could fit so well together. Ganondorf frowned slightly. That… was a rather unsettling thought. 

“Goodnight.” Zelda mumbled, closing her eyes, her panting still rather pronounced. Ganondorf frowned to himself as she curled up beside him and fell asleep, thinking hard. He wouldn’t say they got along, not exactly – she was waspish and defensive, with a tongue like a razor, and he did enjoy blackmailing her into sexual favours – she’d asked for his help, and he was giving it, but he couldn’t _help_ manipulating her using the leverage she’d handed to him on a silver platter. Turning his head slightly, he turned to eye the princess curled into the crook of his arm. She’d objected to sleeping like this on their first night of the invasion, but this was his only sleeping pallet… and it was designed to fit him and only him.

Ganondorf had had a very gleeful time informing her that she could sleep in very close quarters with him, or sleep on the ground. Zelda had been thoroughly disgusted by these two choices, but in the end, she’d chosen to sleep with him rather than in the dirt. He must have tired her out, because he looked down to see with what level of disgust she was curled into him with and found her fast asleep, her cheek pressed against his chest. 

Frowning slightly, he considered his next move. Tomorrow they would move into Lanayru, and be less than a week away from Hyrule Castle. With what he’d always wanted now so close to his reach, feelings of… Ganondorf took a moment to assess what he was feeling. It was… possessiveness, he decided. Possessiveness of Hyrule, that is. As the time drew near when he would take the throne, he found he did not want to share. Again his gaze returned to Zelda, sleeping peacefully by his side. An urge to strangle her rose up in his form, a want to snap her neck, to kill her swiftly. She was asleep… she’d never even know. She just… wouldn’t wake up. The urge was so great he curled his fingers into fists, trying to ignore the tingling there that begged for action, for blood. If he killed her now and took Hyrule for his own and the land failed because Hylia’s blood requirement was not fulfilled, it would be a lifetime wasted… and even if he waited for a new Zelda to come along, what were the odds of something like this happening again? She’d be as prejudiced against him as this one, yet it wasn’t likely she’d be forced to seek his aid twice. No… as much as he would despise it, he had to leave her alive.

He had to make her his Queen. 

Grinding his teeth in disgust, Ganondorf rolled over, glancing down once more as Zelda, disturbed by his movements, shifted too, perfectly unconscious of how close she’d just been to her death. No, he’d make her queen. It would be hard and he had no doubt there would be quite a few moments where he’d like to throttle the woman, but he’d do it.

Hyrule _would_ be his.

When morning came, Ganondorf awoke to find Zelda already up – she was dressed in her tunic and britches and was occupied in brushing out her long golden hair and singing a tune under her breath, clearly without realising she was doing it. He listened for a while – lying there was too comfortable to get up just yet. Her voice was sweet and clear, and it rankled that that was another perfection to add to her growing list. One of these days, he was going to find a flaw and wave it in her face. She had to have at least _one_.

“So you can sing?” He grunted. “Figures.”

Zelda turned to face him with a small frown. “Why do you say that?”

“You don’t have any imperfections, do you?”

A dimple bloomed in her cheek. “You think _I’m_ perfect?”

Ganondorf stared in horror. “I said no such thing. I refer to your ridiculous and prissy nature, that’s all.” He grimaced, his sour grapes tainting his speech. “Everyone knows the Princesses Zelda’s are without flaw or fault – how that’s possible, I’m not sure.” 

“Well of course I have flaws.” She said, turning to face him properly. “If I were perfect I wouldn’t get so riled up when you goad me.” 

He raised a brow. “Is that the best example you can come up with? That’s not a flaw; that’s you being a human being. I dare say your manners have been honed to perfection, your looks are – well, you were born like that, so you can’t claim credit. You are perfect – perfectly insufferable, that is.”

Zelda’s grin widened. “Ah, there we go. Even when complimenting you’re insulting. But don’t worry – I shan’t go pieces without _your_ approval.”

He narrowed his eyes and sat up. She was so _insolent_ – Ganondorf decided he would have to work out a system of punishment for her without actually making threats against her person that she knew he wouldn’t keep.

Reaching for his brush and oil, he began to comb out his hair, freeing it of the snags and knots caused from sleeping. Zelda eyed him curiously as she always did when he oiled his hair.

“What?” He snapped, still irritable from her earlier words.

Zelda seemed to realise this and chose her words carefully. “I was just watching. I have never seen any other man put that kind of thing in his hair, and I wondered as to the purpose of it.”

He grunted slightly, warming the oil between his fingertips before he began to rub it into the ends of his hair. “The oil smooths and weighs down the hair. Makes it easier to manage. It also protects and strengthens, and stops your hair from drying out, which is a good thing in the desert.”

She looked pleased at having received an explanation. “I see.” There was a slight pause. “It smells wonderful.” She said, clearly wishing to continue the conversation; he wondered why. 

“Hmm.” He said curtly, setting down the oil and reaching for his crown to thread it into his hair. Zelda watched, this time with envy on her face. 

“I wish I had my diadem.” She said softly, eyes still fixed on his crown.

That gave him pause. He’d noticed, of course, that she didn’t seem to have it with her, but hadn’t yet cared enough to ask. “Where is it?” 

“It was knocked off my head when I was attacked. Owing to fear of my life, I was forced to leave it behind when I fled.” She sighed heavily. “I suppose my uncle has it, as proof of my death or some other such nonsense.”

“How did they do it? The attempted murder, I mean.”

Zelda wrinkled her nose. “It was just after a ball. I had just retired for the evening when a message arrived to say my uncle wished to speak with me in the gardens, so naturally I went down. When I arrived my uncle was nowhere in sight, and when I turned to leave, there were suddenly four ruffians in the garden with me, all dressed in black and brandishing knives. I presume they meant to cut my throat.”

That piqued his curiosity. “How did you get away?”

“I ran.” She said simply. “I know the gardens very well, and fortunately, they did not. It was very dark, and I happen to know a spot where the hedging has a few gaps in it. It’s been driving the gardeners mad. Anyway, since it was dark, and I was running through the hedge maze hoping against hope I wouldn’t run into any of the assassins, I suddenly passed the spot. I wedged myself into the hedge and stayed there – it was dark enough they couldn’t see me, and they ran up and down through the maze cursing my name for a good while. Once one of them passed so close I could have tripped him by sticking my nose out. But they didn’t look down, fortunately, and then I heard my uncle.” Zelda looked down at her knees, a sudden look of misery on her face. “He asked them if I’d been taken care of yet, and he was… very angry when they said I’d escaped. That’s when I knew he’d planned it.” Zelda looked up. “That’s that.” She said stiffly. “So ends my life as a respectable princess. Yes, I wish I had my diadem, and my lyre.”

That gave him a moment’s pause. “Lyre? Why would you want your lyre? Wanting to give a concert to the troops, are we?”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “It’s magic. I have been educated in its use, you know.” Zelda frowned then. “I assumed you would know it. It’s one of the artefacts passed down from Zelda to Zelda for centuries.”

“Lyre… _lyre_ … you don’t mean the Goddess Harp, do you?” Ganondorf inquired, and she nodded.

“Yes, that’s it. I don’t know why people call it that – it’s very obviously _not_ a harp.”

 He frowned, carefully taking this nugget of information and tucking it away in the list of things he was to be wary of.

“You have use of the Goddess Harp?” 

“Didn’t I just say that?” Said Zelda snarkily, then nodded. “Yes, I do. It’s rather a good thing, really, because I don’t have-” She trailed off, and he instantly recognised it as being the kind of silence produced when someone realises they’ve said more than they should have. He analysed her words carefully, trying to figure out what she’d been going to say.

“You call it a lyre just to be contrary, don’t you?” When she went to respond, he cut her off. “What can you do with it?” Ganondorf asked, hoping she’d reveal something else if he kept her talking about it. 

Zelda shrugged lightly. “All sorts. You see, the first known songs written for the lyre opened portals to different locations. But over the centuries, different Zelda’s have composed different melodies, and now there’s quite a few things I can do with it.” She flicked him an annoyed glance. “If I’d been able to get to it before I had to flee the castle, I don’t think I’d have needed to come to you for help.”

That made him irrationally irritated, and he was abruptly very glad she hadn’t been able to reach the harp – _lyre_ , whatever. She was apparently far less dangerous without it.

Ganondorf nodded curtly. “Get dressed.” He said, standing up and stooping to shuffle over to where his armour was laid out on the ground, though he stifled a grin when out of the corner of his eye he saw her blush and look away from his nudity. Ridiculous modesty, considering how many times he’d bedded her now. That brought his thoughts back to last night, which had been rather enjoyable. He wondered how she would be once he had taken Hyrule and she was his Queen – would she still permit him to bed her, to take liberties in manner and speech with her? He rather suspected that once she had her throne back he’d be lucky to see the inside of her bedchamber once a month.

Wait a minute.

_Lucky?_  

Why should he be _lucky_ to bed the princess? These were new and alarming thoughts. He sincerely hoped he wasn’t getting used to the idea of being married to her. He shook his head as if to clear it, and then Ganondorf got into his armour without another word and strode out of the tent, hoping the cool air and the distraction of organising an army would knock some sense into him.


	7. Violated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter in which Zelda is assaulted.
> 
> [TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE, GANG RAPE, ABUSE] 
> 
> I totally understand if you don't want to keep reading, because it's not something that happens quickly and is over suddenly. Its quite graphic and generally horrible.

Zelda emerged from the tent fully dressed, wondering where Ganondorf had gone – and what was wrong with him. He’d been civil enough, but it was plain he was in a bad mood. She made a resolution not to speak with him unless spoken to – she didn’t really want her head bitten off today. The bulbins brought her breakfast, which consisted of a dry hunk of bread and a badly boiled egg. Zelda wrinkled her nose but thanked them, and was forced to chew each mouthful with a swig of water just so she could swallow. When breakfast was finished, she tidied up her plate then went and checked on her horse.

The grey gelding had proved to have no name when he’d arrived, so she’d deliberated for a while and named him Uuldvar, for he reminded her of an old soul; his calm brown eyes belayed a calm intelligence she found very pleasing. Leaning her head against his, she stroked his neck softly.

“And how are you this morning, Uuldie?” She asked, and was delighted to receive a soft whicker in return. In the distance, a few bokoblin’s were side-eying her over the armour they were polishing, and Zelda turned to lean up against Uuldvar’s side, just taking in the landscape before her. Ganondorf’s tent was roughly in the centre of the army campsite, and all around her she could see his troops spoiling the pristine green rolling hills; she heaved a small sigh at what she had to endure in order to restore her rightful throne and went to turn back to Uuldvar when she heard her name.

It was a bad idea to stray far from the tent, she knew, but surely it couldn’t hurt if she walked a little closer to the small grove of trees no more than twenty metre’s away to see what they were saying. There appeared to be four men sitting there – no, two men, she corrected, a moblin, and a wizzrobe. She wondered briefly about the human men who served under Ganondorf – what had made them betray their countrymen in such ways? The irony of her thinking that in her present situation was not lost on her.

The closer she got, the more she realised they were talking about her – and in very rudimentary Hylian too. That was curious. It was the two men who did most of the talking, and from their accents she deduced that they were Labrynnian in origin. Zelda surmised that they were criminals of the worst sort, seeking to evade the executioner’s blade by joining the Demon King. Either that, or they simply were men of natural violence.

“…and do you think Princess Zelda will let him have her once she’s back in Hyrule?”

“From the sounds of last night, she might well do it!”

Bawdy laughter erupted amongst them, and she blushed heartily – she hadn’t realised last night had been _that_ loud. At that moment, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and a shadow fell over her. Spinning around, Zelda found herself looking up at a very large and battle scarred moblin. Giving the creature a nervous smile, Zelda went to edge around it and retreat to the tent, which now seemed so close and yet so far.

The moblin grunted and spoke something in its harsh, grating language, and she shook her head slightly.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Zelda said slowly, hoping that by speaking Hylian back to it the moblin would realise the language barrier and leave off the conversation. For whatever reason, she now felt deeply ill at ease, and more so when she became aware of a presence behind her, turning to discover the four inhabitants of the tree grove were now standing behind her. The palms of her hands began to sweat.

“Hello, Princess.” Said one of the Labrynnian men with a rather disturbing smirk.

“Hello.” She said back, wondering if these vicious looking specimens would be very offended if she tried to inch away. “I’m sorry, but I really must be going…”

“You were eavesdropping.” Said the other man, and she paused, seeking a way to save her dignity and end the conversation swiftly.

“I was not.” _I was, but that’s not important here_. “I was simply… stretching my legs. I’ve been cooped up in that tent for a few weeks now.”

One of the men said something in a foreign language, to which one of the moblins responded with something that made them all laugh in a way that made her stomach do a flip. And not in a good way.

“Do you want to know what Varg just said?” Asked the larger of the two Labrynnian’s, an immense man with a filthy tangle of matted ginger curls.

Zelda half-heartedly shrugged. “I… suppose?”

“I took the liberty of translating your words, seeing as he has no Hylian.” The ginger man paused. “He made note of something we all find ourselves guilty of. He said ‘She wants to stretch her legs out – I’d rather do it for her!’”

Zelda’s mouth dropped open at the implication and she took an instinctive step back, only to run smack bang into the bare chest of the other moblin. The wizzrobe hovered at the perimeter, watching with an almost bored feel to its posture. She took a nervous step forwards as the pig creature grunted in an almost lascivious fashion, and the nerves in her belly heightened.

“I – I have to go.” She said softly, and spun to try and move through the gap between moblin and wizzrobe and back to the safety of the tent when the moblin grabbed her arm. She looked up, her outrage barely masking the fear in her gut. “Let me go at once!” Zelda demanded, tugging fruitlessly at her arm.

“I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fuck a princess.” Said the other Labrynnian, a shorter, stockier man with a shaved head tattooed with fantastical patterns. He took a decidedly threatening step closer. “So why don’t we find out?”

Zelda’s belly dropped to her toes and she tugged desperately on her arm and managed to free it, stumbling back then turning to run. She made it perhaps three steps when the taller Labrynnian grabbed her again.

“Let me go!” She growled, trying to bash his nose into his brain. He easily dodged her attempts and pinned her arms by his side. Picking her up, her arms still pinned, he began to carry her deeper into the trees, accompanied by the other Labrynnian, the two moblins, and the wizzrobe. Terror shortened her breath, and Zelda began to twist and kick her body furiously in order to escape. One particularly contortionistic movement landed her foot in the man’s crotch, and he dropped her with a curse.

The second she hit the ground she took off; where to, she wasn’t sure, for this certainly wasn’t the right way back to the tent. At this moment, however, Zelda couldn’t have cared less, as long as it got her away from _them_. Abruptly, bright red magic appeared from thin air, forming three walls around her. Zelda ran smack into one of them from her momentum and fell to the ground, picking herself up just as the group following her stepped into the ‘doorway’ of the impromptu prison, the wizzrobe’s hands glowing with magic.

Zelda pressed herself up against the magic wall, hoping she could just fall though it, and when it appeared she could not (and one of the Labrynnian men began unbuckling his belt), her thoughts turned to how she could protect herself.

“Stay away from me.” She hissed desperately, cursing whatever cruel twist of fate had led to the neglect of her magical education – she didn’t _know_ offensive and defensive magic. The taller Labrynnian strode forwards, a smug smirk on his face as he reached for her. Blessedly, Zelda’s other hand found the tiny hidden dagger that had come with her amour. She gotten into the habit of keeping it tucked into her waistband, and now gripped it firmly before she brought it up and tried to stab him in the kidney. Unfortunately, he was too quick for her, and sidestepped enough that rather than land a fatal blow, the blade glanced to the side and struck deeply into his arm instead. He screamed and staggered backwards clutching his arm, and Zelda threw herself forwards, only to find herself caught up in the arms of one of the moblins. By now, tears were pouring down her face as she kicked and screamed, desperate to free herself. The short Labrynnian swore and said something to the wizzrobe, who floated towards her. Zelda kicked out at him in warning.

“Stay away!” Her scream cracked as the wizzrobe’s hand glowed, and then the most peculiar sensation flowed through her body – the dagger hit the ground as her hands fell to her side without her telling them to, and Zelda had the unmistakable panic of realising her body was no longer responding to her orders. She tried to move, and couldn’t. She tried to speak, tried to scream, and was silent. Her eyes wheeled desperately in their sockets, apparently the only part of her that could move, watching with no way to hide as the man she’d stabbed walked up and shoved the shorter one aside.

“Fucking little bitch.” He spat, grabbing her jaw in a painful grip. “Stab me like that, will you? I’ll teach you.”

His trousers hit his ankles, and her breath came in quickened, panicked gasps as he tangled his hands roughly into her hair and shoved her to her knees. Apparently, she was only frozen when _she_ tried to move her body. Zelda realised she was like a doll to be positioned as they pleased. This only became more evident when the man freed his erection, then forcibly pulled her jaw apart and shoved himself in. Tears welled in her eyes and ran down her cheeks as he fucked her mouth brutally, making it hard to breathe as he rammed himself down her throat. Behind him, the shorter Labrynnian had his own shaft in hand and was stroking it as he watched, and then the erection in her mouth disappeared as one of the moblins shoved the man out of the way and pulled her back to her feet, fingers pawing at the waistband of her trousers clumsily. As the fabric came away, exposing her lower body, the short Labrynnian let go of himself and came to help himself to her breasts, groping her roughly and ripping her shirt away. When her breasts were exposed, he pinched her nipples hard enough to make her eyes water, if she hadn’t already been crying.

Inside her mind, she fought back. Trapped in her head, Zelda kicked and punched, screamed and bit, and scratched and clawed and _hurt_ the men who were doing this to her. In reality, she lay there and endured it as they pushed her down onto the ground, the moblin stopping the Labrynnian’s efforts to be the one’s settled between her thighs, the filthy unwashed scent of them drifting into her nose. Desperately, she tried to call her magic, but it was useless – nothing would come. Stubby fingers dug into her thighs and pushed them wide, and Zelda closed her eyes firmly shut as jeering comments reached her ears, and then she was defiled properly. She felt like she needed to vomit, and would have gladly done so all over the moblin currently hard at work between her thighs, but the wizzrobe’s spell prevented it; distantly, she wondered why it stopped her retching but let her cry silently.

A sudden hard slap to her exposed breast would have made her jerk and scream if she’d been able to move; as it was, her eyes flew wide as she was forced to endure the taller Labrynnian inflict brutal punishment on her breasts and torso with his leather belt, his hand never leaving his shaft for a moment, and then he punched her in the face a few times. Zelda felt her lip split and screamed inside. The moblin chose that moment to finish, and it grunted and squealed in the most peculiar way as it did so, its release continuing on for so long the other moblin seized it by the shoulders and shoved it away. Before she could be violated by that moblin, as was clearly its intention, the shorter Labrynnian slipped between her thighs and groaned loudly as he entered her, the pain from his much larger member hurting her unprepared entrance more than the smaller one of the… porcine variety had. Zelda closed her eyes again, sincerely regretting the fact she could not bite the erection that was then shoved into her mouth; the sour taste coating her teeth and tongue. She cracked open her eyes enough to register it was the second moblin who’d been denied the space between her legs.

She retreated back into her mind, trying to block out what was happening to her, trying to ignore the stinging pain of the hand on her breasts, the man between her legs, the _creature_ in her mouth… Zelda tried to block it all out, and very loudly yelled nonsensical noises in her head until it was all over, until each of them had spent themselves either inside her or over her body. She felt filthy and used, and she cracked open her eyes to find them all laughing amongst themselves as the wizzrobe held up his hands and her body flooded with pins and needles. Her fingers curled into fists as the now satisfied group walked off and left her lying there.

Zelda waited until she couldn’t hear them anymore, then pushed herself to a sitting position, where she promptly lurched up on her knees and vomited. _At least that tastes better,_ she thought bitterly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Looking around, she frowned at her destroyed clothes, trying to not think of the soreness between her legs, the sticky fluid covering her torso where one of them had decided to spend himself, or the red welts covering her breasts. She fiddled around with her torn clothes until she could cover most of her modesty, then stood on shaky legs. Disgust churned in her belly and she felt ill as the memories of what had just occurred rioted through her brain. She staggered through the trees slowly, her one thought fixated on reaching the safety of the tent. She eventually reached the edge of the trees, where she would have to walk across bare space in the presence of quite a few of Ganondorf’s monsters. Why, in the distance, she could see one of the Labrynnian men, talking and laughing with the others as if he _hadn’t_ just raped her.

Bile rose in her throat and she vomited again, gasping a little as she retched, trying to bring up anything from her empty stomach. When she was relatively sure she wasn’t going to be sick again, Zelda clutched the torn scraps of her clothing closer around her, then speed walked to the tent, refusing to look anyone in the eye, and restraining herself from running, no matter how much she wanted to. That would only attract more attention, and may even spark a chase. Finally, blessedly, she reached the tent and ducked inside, pausing for a moment once she was in to stop and close her eyes, and then the floodgates opened. Tears gushed down her cheeks and she buried her face in her hands, letting the scraps of her clothes fall to the ground.

Taking a shuddering breath, Zelda stumbled over to the pallet where she collapsed in a heap, curling up in a ball before realising she was still covered in bodily fluids. Still sobbing and now gagging a little as more and more memories came back to her, she crawled over to the water pitcher, which she promptly used to rinse her mouth out thoroughly, before she scrubbed her body clean of seed and blood, whimpering in pain every time the washcloth ran over one of the stinging welts on her body. Feeling more and more disgusting by the minute, she spread her legs and scrubbed the space between them clean of sticky fluid, then pushed her fingers inside herself in an attempt to scoop out as much seed as possible, and tried to wash the rest away with water. Zelda wasn’t entirely sure how effective it was, but it made her feel a little better.

Finished with her cleaning, her body scrubbed red raw, she crawled back over to the pallet and curled up in a miserable ball, pulling the blankets over her head as revulsion flowed through her. Zelda attempted to sit back objectively and sort through her emotions. First off, she realised she was feeling a strong sense of blame… for what? For leaving the tent. For leaving her safe haven and walking towards them, leaving herself open to attack. _No_ … she thought to herself, trying to convince the ball of dread in the pit of her stomach. _It’s not my fault. If they were decent individuals, they wouldn’t have done it, no matter how close I was._ Zelda closed her eyes and tried to breathe deeply. It had happened now, and the only thing she could do was try to deal with it.

When Ganondorf entered the tent and immediately trod on a pile of ripped and bloodied clothes, he knew something was wrong. He stilled and scanned the room, noting the empty water pitcher lying on its side on the ground, and then his gaze settled on the softly sobbing pile of blankets at the back of the tent. Moving quietly, he moved forwards, certain something had happened to Zelda… but what? Suspicion flashed through him as he leaned down and touched the blanket pile.

Her reaction was instantaneous. Zelda immediately threw the blankets off her head and scuttled backwards away from him with a noise of pure fear in the back of her throat, her eyes wide and unfocused for a moment, set in a deathly pale tearstained face. It took her a few moments during which she tried and failed to control her sobs, and then she focused on his face and she crumbled, pulling the blanket tighter around herself as she buried her face in her knees, crying in earnest.

Ganondorf scowled viciously. It was obvious what had happened. Someone had attacked her.

“Princess.” He said softly, trying to make himself appear nonthreatening as he sat down beside her.

She sniffled loudly and lifted her head, so he continued.

“Who did this to you?”

“Two men, two moblins, and a wizzrobe.” She said softly, tears making their way down her cheeks again.

He swore internally. _Filthy bastards._ Zelda was his, and no one else’s. How dare they lay a single unworthy finger upon her.

“Did they hurt you?” He asked, then kicked himself. She sported a brilliantly purple black eye and her lip was split. What kind of idiotic question was that? Zelda stared at him for a long moment, then very slowly sat up and let the blanket fall to her waist, revealing her nude body – and the vicious red welts and deep bruises striped across her skin, centred thickly over her breasts. He sucked in a breath, and then Zelda surprised him when she rewrapped the blanket around her shoulders then moved forwards and crawled into his lap.

“The wizzrobe cast a spell on me.” She mumbled into his chest. “I couldn’t move or speak, I could only lie there and… she trailed off into sobs, and he wrapped his arms around her, giving her the comfort she so clearly wanted. Ganondorf was not entirely sure why he felt so angry on her behalf… shouldn’t he like that she was hurting? He decided that ordinarily, he would, but… wait. He was only surmising what they did. He needed her to verify.

“What did they do?” He murmured, and she shook her head rather desperately.

“Don’t make me say it out loud!” She wailed.

He nodded. “They forced themselves on you.”

Zelda instantly dissolved into tears, crying so hard she barely remembered to nod.

Anger made him sit still, like a carved statue, while he considered things. He was angry because Zelda had been raped, and rape was an abhorrence. It was worse than murder in every conceivable way. It was the act of cowards and perverts, and he detested it. More than that… he’d begun to look at Zelda as though she belonged to him. Not as though she were a slave, or a inanimate object, but in that he had leverage over her – she was dependant on him. Ganondorf scowled. Not only that… she was a Princess, she would be a Queen, and she had… well, if not precisely willingly, she had given herself to him. She was the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom – she was one of the few that could be his equal, and to have her defiled in such a vile, reprehensible manner… it would have been easier to understand if they had murdered her outright. Nothing was to be gained from rape, in his opinion. It wasn’t even remotely enjoyable if the woman was kicking and screaming and trying to get away.

But what had Zelda said? There had been a wizzrobe, one who’d cast a spell… he knew what she was talking about, and knew it would make it feel worse for her. To be trapped inside your own mind, unable to fight back as such a thing happened to you… if it wasn’t Zelda, he’d have probably pitied her. As it was, he just felt angry at her attackers and mindful of her currently fragile state. She would require gentle handling now – he wouldn’t bed her tonight, like he’d been looking forward to.

Frowning at the ceiling, Ganondorf lay down and rolled onto his side, pulling Zelda into his chest. She had frozen solid at his movement, but after a few moments she relaxed a little and wormed closer, hiding her face while her shoulders shook from silent sobs. He stroked a hand up and down her back, contemplating how uncomfortable it was to be lying here in his armour, and waited until her sobs had slowed to even breathing – clearly completely exhausted, she’d fallen asleep, her fingers clenched tightly in the grooves of his chest plate. Moving cautiously so she didn’t wake up, he detached her hands and carefully got off the bedding, covering her up with more blankets and silently sneaking back out of the tent.

It occurred to him that it probably would have been wise to ask Zelda for a physical description of her attackers before setting off to find them, but it was too late now. She was asleep, and far better off unconscious. Striding towards a group of bokoblin’s, who scattered when they registered his anger, he beckoned one unfortunate over. The little creature gulped and shivered as he hoisted it into the air by the scruff of its neck and questioned it. The bokoblin revealed that the story had spread. The men who’d raped Zelda were gleefully spreading the story, and were being treated like heroes because of it.

How _dare_ they.


	8. Vengeance is Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Zelda's rape. Ganondorf goes looking for revenge (graphic violence here) and Zelda has a heart to heart with the Great Fairy.

Ganondorf wiped his blade in the grass, then straightened from his crouch and grabbed the jaw of one of the Labrynnian men in his grip, tightening his hold until the man moaned in pain.

“Whose is she?” He asked softly.

The man gasped and gurgled, blood bubbling at his lips. “Yours.” He managed.

“Very good.” Ganondorf hissed. “You’re learning.”

Hopefully, they would all realise the purpose behind this; Ganondorf did not often seek out those who were to be punished himself, for they were always brought to him in chains, but this? Him seeking out this pathetic heap in person ought to send the right message – that he was _furious_.

Slowly, languidly, Ganondorf dragged his blade down the cheek of the Labrynnian, thoroughly enjoying the sobs of pain issuing from the man’s pitiful throat. Ginger curls matted with blood, he was tied with his hands above his head to a hastily erected post, with the other Labrynnian and two moblins each gracing their own posts beside him. The other Labrynnian had died almost pitifully early, his bloody and broken corpse dangling from his bound wrists, but Ganondorf blamed himself for the early death. As the first of the four he’d gotten a hold of, he’d been a little too enthusiastic with the man. With the others at least he’d shown some restraint.

One of the moblins had passed out, blowing bubbles in the blood pooled at his snout with each breath, and the other was watching, fear in his eyes as Ganondorf tortured the Labrynnian.

“Please…” The man whispered, begging for mercy with his eyes.

“Did she beg for mercy?” Ganondorf inquired nastily. “I’d be willing to bet a good many rupees that she did, but _you_ didn’t show her that honour. If you would not show mercy, why should I?”

Slowly, delicately, he held open the eyelid of the man’s left eye and scooped out the wet eyeball within, relishing the jerking of the smaller man’s body, the twisting agonised screams. Ganondorf examined the squishy ball with detached interest, then dropped it to the ground and squashed it underfoot.

“Your screams grow tiresome.” He said, raising his voice. “I _am_ aware of how to sever a man’s vocal cords without slitting his throat.”

The Labrynnian cut himself off, pained whimpers escaping clenched lips as he tried to silence himself, his body still writhing in agony as blood poured from the hole in his face, his eyelids collapsed inward over the new hole in his head.

“Now…” Ganondorf mused, spotting movement out of the corner of his eye and turning to his audience. Many of his troops were still at their camps, watching in horrified silence as their King tortured four of their comrades. “You!” He snapped, pointing a bloodied blade at another Labrynnian soldier. The man looked like he was about to expire on the spot. “What have you learned?”

“…N-no one touches her?” The soldier asked hesitantly, clearly afraid his answer wouldn’t be the right one.

Ganondorf inclined his head. “Correct.” He said, then shifted the focus of his blade to another of his men. “You! What have you learned?”

“No one touches her!” The soldier said quickly, the fear in his eyes turning to relief as Ganondorf nodded.

“You will all remember that.” He said darkly. “I don’t want to even hear her name on your worthless lips. If any of you agree with what these miserable cretins did to her and I find out, you’ll be joining them.”

He paused, and drank in the petrified silence.

 _“AM I UNDERSTOOD!?”_ He roared, and grinned the instant echoing chorus of agreement. Fear was the greatest motivator. And now… he turned back to the moblin who’d lost consciousness, debating which part of him to remove to generate enough pain to wake him up.

Zelda awoke to find herself alone. For a few blissful moments, she couldn’t quite recall why her body was so sore, and then it all came flooding back. She sat still for a few minutes, eyes wide as she sorted through the events of several hours earlier. She’d been raped, no, _gang_ raped; that, she had accepted. It had happened, and now she needed to sort out what she would do. Zelda knew she could fall to pieces entirely, or hide it, or attempt to work through it, or do any number of things. She was so close to having her throne back, but this… it made her feel so small. Dirty. Used.

Distantly, she wondered where Ganondorf was. He’d been here when she’d fallen asleep, she was sure of it. He’d… held her. Why? Zelda was perfectly aware of the fact she’d crawled into his lap, searching for comfort and not particularly caring where she got it from. The thing that confused her was why he had accepted it. The perception of Ganondorf she’d been building in her mind, though he sometimes did bewildering things that could _almost_ be called kind or caring, was that he would have maybe pushed her away, or held her for a second and put her down again, or maybe let her sit in his lap but not pulled her closer, perhaps with an innuendo or two. But… he hadn’t done any of that. Not only had he tucked her against his chest, he’d laid with her while she cried, until she fell asleep. No matter which was she looked at it, Zelda was forced to admit she was dealing with a man more complicated than she’d first thought.

Sitting up with a pained grimace, she dropped the blankets and examined her still nude body. The welts criss-crossing her form were more pronounced than ever, and hurt to touch. Zelda assessed the rest of her body. Her split lip throbbed a little and her nose was sore, as was the place between her legs, but otherwise, she was physically unharmed. A quick glance in Ganondorf’s looking glass told her otherwise; she sported a terrific black eye, her left eye ringed in brilliant purple. She poked at it and winced, then crawled stiffly out of the pile of blankets and over to the bag where she kept her clothing. After a few moments, she was dressed again in fresh trousers and a new shirt, and sat back on her heels to contemplate what she would do next. 

Wrapping herself up in blankets again sounded good, so she did just that, snuggling down and thinking about tax revenues as a distraction against… bleaker subjects. Abruptly, the curtain that served as the door to the tent lifted and Ganondorf moved into the tent, stooping as usual to fit in. He paused, looking surprised to see her. It was at that moment she noticed the gore splattered across his armour, the blood dripping from his fingers. He hid his hands behind his back when he realised she was looking.

“I had hoped you would still be asleep.” He began, and she frowned a little.

“Why?”

He shrugged. “I thought perhaps you might be squeamish.” At that, Ganondorf moved to kneel before the water pitcher, where he began unbuckling his armour, beginning to scrub the blood from his hands once he was bared to the waist.

Zelda ignored this blight on her character in favour of watching as the blood stained the water crimson. “What did you do?” She whispered.

“I found the men who attacked you.” He said simply. “Look outside.”

That was unexpected. He had found them, and…? _Killed them_ , her inner voice supplied. Zelda shuffled forwards on her knees, hunched over from the pain, and spread the curtain enough so she could look through it. In the distance, she could see a type of scaffolding effected, four corpses hanging from it. Even from this distance she could see the amount of blood, the orange glow of the setting sun gleaming on shards of protruding bone, the knife embedded in a moblin's skull.

“Are they all dead?” She asked, shuffling slowly back to the pallet, burying herself in blankets again. _Where is the wizzrobe…?_

“No.” He said shortly, still not looking at her. Zelda inhaled nervously, drawing the blanket a little closer around her shoulders. Ganondorf turned to face her then, drying his now clean hands on a towel. “I can’t find the wizzrobe.” He said, sounding disgusted. “The rest were fairly easy to track down, but the wizzrobe… he’s used his magic and fled, like the coward he is.”

“Oh.” Zelda stared, wide eyed, as she tried to sort through this astonishing information. “Why… did you do that?” She asked softly. “I thought you’d be pleased if… I got hurt.” She looked down at her knees, then back up at his reply.

“I would, ordinarily, if you’d simply been hurt. But this? This is unacceptable.” He still sounded disgusted. “You belong to me now, Princess. My troops know that to interfere with my private affairs is punishable by death. They got what they deserved.”

Zelda tilted her head, momentarily distracted. “You sound awfully possessive for someone who isn’t supposed to believe in marriage.”

He rolled his eyes, but his look was predatory. “You are the bearer of Wisdom. You possess part of the Triforce, something I have desired for centuries. More than that, you willingly gave yourself to me. Do you think that I would let you go?”

Zelda wrinkled her nose. “I suppose I can see logic in that.” A wave of bitterness flowed through her. So he thought of her as an object, nothing more than a vessel that held his precious Triforce? _Bastard_.

Ganondorf grinned at her, and then his smile faded. “Are you alright?”

Zelda quickly dropped her gaze to the floor. “No.” She said, hating the way her voice suddenly shook. “I – I’ve been trying to distract myself.”

Ganondorf nodded. “Sore?”

She nodded back, drawing her knees closer to her chest.

He nodded again. “Night has all but fallen. If you wish… I will sleep outside.”

Her smile was slow and small but grateful. “Would you really? Thank you.” She whispered fervently, tears filling her eyes. “I mean – I don’t wish to imply-”

Ganondorf held up a hand. “No need to explain, Princess. You are not the first woman I’ve seen who has had this happen. I know you will need some space.”

She was completely astonished. He was being so… thoughtful! It was almost bewildering.

“Do you feel like food?” He continued, and she considered, but shook her head.

“No thank you.” She said softly. “I’ll just bring it up again.”

Ganondorf nodded. “I’ll take my leave.” At that, he scooped up a blanket or two, went outside and didn’t come back in.

Zelda spent a while wondering about his behaviour, and the rest of the night was spent lying awake in revulsion.

The following morning, Ganondorf came back in holding a plate with a few slices of bread on it, which he set by her feet. Zelda was currently buried in blankets, feeling heavy as stone.

“How do you feel, Princess?” He asked.

She shrugged slightly and chewed a mouthful of dry bread, wondering if she’d vomit again. “I don’t actually know. Everything hurts. I just… want to forget.”

He nodded. “Understandable.”

Zelda then stared in bewilderment as he held out a hand.

“Come with me, Princess.”

“Where to?” She asked suspiciously.

“There’s a fairy pool not far from here. My men found it while scouting; apparently there’s a Great Fairy who lives there. I imagine those welts hurt; why not let the fairies heal you?”

Zelda stared. “Are you offering to take me?”

He nodded. “You don’t know where the pool is, remember?”

A slight smile stole over her lips. “Thank you. But…” fear and nerves overtook her. “I can’t go outside. They… they know.” She whispered. The memory of hearing the gossip, always rife amongst the troops, take off as she lay there and cried made her stomach churn. They knew. All his men did by now, probably. How could she go out there and let them look at her when they _knew_ what had happened, when she knew they were laughing at it, at _her_ , enjoying the fact that she’d been violated?

Ganondorf shook his head. “You don’t have to go outside.”

Zelda considered. He clearly meant he would warp them there and back, which would eliminate the need for anyone to see her. And… the desire to see the great fairy and bathe in the healing waters strongly overpowered any other feeling she felt at the moment. She nodded a little hesitantly. “Okay.”

Ganondorf shuffled a little closer on his knees, clearly unwilling to stand when he’d only have to stoop, until she could take his hand. He didn’t touch her even though the decision had been made. That was nice. She appreciated that. Zelda sat up and inched close enough to slip her fingers gingerly into his, and then Ganondorf summoned his magic, black shadow sliding around them both and making the tent fade into darkness for a second. When sight returned, they were kneeling in a small glade tucked against a cliff. The mouth of the cave was partly covered with softly swaying vines, and she could hear the bubbling of water nearby.

Ganondorf let go of her hand and stood up, while Zelda remained on her knees. To be honest, she was now so stiff she didn’t actually think she could stand on her own.

“Um… could you help me up?” She asked, wondering what his reaction would be.

A slightly confused look passed over his face, but he still reached down and took her hand, helping her to her feet. As she stood, pain seared through her core from the stiffness and lack of vertical movement, and she remained bent for a moment, wincing, with one arm clutched across her midsection. Ganondorf now had a concerned look on his face, which was clearly an uncomfortable feeling for him.

“Are you okay?” He asked, sounding a little hesitant and very much at odds with his usual confidence.

She gave him what was supposed to be a smile but was probably a grimace. “No.”

He nodded. “That’s fair. Can you walk?”

Zelda considered. “I think so.”

To prove it to herself she took a few steps, letting go of his hand in the process. “See?” She said over her shoulder. “I’m… fine. I’m going to be… fine.” Her voice broke on the last word, and she moved forwards into the cave. Ganondorf didn’t follow her, and she felt pleased he was giving her such privacy.

The cave appeared to be empty at first. Large and open, the high, vaulted ceilings were held up by carved marble arches, and at the back of the cave was an elaborate pool.

“Hello?” She called softly. “Anyone home?”

There was a chiming, tinkling sound, and several small points of light appeared from the depths of the cave, skimming across the water.

“Guest! Guest! Guest!” They chimed in high, childish voices, and then they swirled around her, flying high and fast.

One little ball of light stopped in front of her nose. “Hello! What’s your name?”

Zelda managed a slight smile for the little fairy. “I’m Princess Zelda. Is the Great Fairy here? I wish to speak with her.”

The fairies almost imploded in their excitement. “Princess Zelda!” They shrieked over the top of one another, spinning around in the so hard it made her hair blow in the breeze, and then they all darted towards the back of the cave. A few moments later, an elegant shimmering woman appeared, dressed in long flowing robes, a large pair of wings keeping her suspended from the ground.

“Princess?” The Great Fairy reached out and cupped her cheeks softly. “My dear, you are hurt?”

Zelda nodded, her eyes filling with tears. The Great Fairy settled her hands on her shoulders, looking sympathetic, and then she said something in a chiming voice, and the little fairies immediately swooped in, flying around her as their glows got brighter. A curiously warm feeling began in her belly and spread throughout her whole form; Zelda sighed in relief as the aching soreness vanished, and she dropped the blanket still around her shoulders and lifted her shirt at the hem to see that the welts covering her skin were fading. After a few seconds, you’d never have known they were there.

“There.” Said the Great Fairy with a pleased hum. “Do you feel better?”

Zelda bit her lip. “Not really.”

The Great Fairy nodded. “Come into the water; it heals more than physical maladies.”

The little fairies held her clothes as she stripped off and entered the soothing waters of the pool; she felt instantly like a kind of weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Tell me what happened.” Said the Great Fairy gently, she herself in the pool, her robes flowing out from her like water, wings neatly folded to avoid the wet.

“I – I was attacked. By several… men. They – forced themselves on me.” Zelda whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

The little fairies made sympathetic hums, settling themselves on her shoulders or in her hair. Zelda smiled as one of them patted her forehead in a gesture that was supposed to be soothing; it tickled.

The Great Fairy reached out and took her hand. “When?”

“Yesterday.” She let out a sob and curled in around her knees, burying her face in her arms. “I couldn’t stop them – they just – they just-”

“My dear, please calm down.”

“Calm _down?”_ Zelda lifted her head. “How can I? They – they have _violated_ me, they have made me a laughing stock, they _hurt_ me, they have _ruined_ what dignity I still possess, how – how can-” She dissolved into tears, and the Great Fairy reached out and pulled her in close. Zelda tensed as the ethereal limbs wrapped around her, assuming her nudity would make the embrace awkward, but instead it was incredibly soothing. She turned and buried her face in the Fairy’s neck, finding solace in her hold. The Great Fairy said nothing for a little while, just held her while she sobbed and stroked her hair.

“Dearheart, please don’t misunderstand me. I want to help.”

“Can you?” Zelda said bitterly into her neck. “Can you really?”

The Great Fairy sighed. “No, I suppose I can’t. It’s happened though, and now you need to ask yourself what you will do.”

“I don’t know what I’ll do.” Zelda mumbled. “I – I want my throne back, but if any of my court found out, I’d be ruined. Utterly ruined. The circumstances don’t matter – if they knew I wasn’t pure, or that my husband was not the only man I’ve known, they wouldn’t respect me. They wouldn’t think I was worthy of my crown. I must – I must hide it.”

“And that is okay.’ Said the Great Fairy soothingly. “So long as you do not let it poison your heart. Remember dear, your worth does not depend on your virtue. A woman who marries is no longer virtuous in that sense, but she still has worth in society, does she not? You are Princess Zelda. Your soul is one of the purest things in this world. This has happened, yes, but it does not define you.”

“Does it not?” She asked resentfully. “I can never go back.”

“No. So go forwards. It will stay with you, and most likely you will find some things difficult. But you are a strong woman. You can move forwards, I believe that.”

Zelda nodded. “So long as… they never find out.” She said softly. “I think I can live with it so long as nobody knows.”

The Great Fairy nodded. “I know you can.”

Zelda spent close to an hour in the pool, letting the calming waters soothe her and listening to the advice of the fairies. By the time the Great Fairy dropped the biggest bombshell of her life, Zelda was feeling a little better, having poured her heart out to the fairies and had her fears reassured.

“So tell me Zelda.” Said the Great Fairy warmly. “Whether you think your little one will be a prince or a princess?”

Zelda stared, mouth open. “ _What?”_ She croaked.

A slightly nervous look came over the face of the fairy. “Oh… you don’t know, do you?”

Zelda shook her head. “Are you saying I’m… pregnant?” She whispered.

The Great Fairy nodded. “Yes. I am sorry if I have spoiled anything…”

“Oh Goddesses…” Zelda immediately began to panic, laying a hand on her belly as her breathing sped up. “But… it’s too early, isn’t it? It couldn’t be from… from _yesterday_ , could it? Please tell me it isn’t!”

The fairy looked surprised. “Yesterday…? Oh, no, my dear. You are several weeks along. Rest assured, those… _men_ , none of them have fathered your child.”

“Oh, thank the Goddesses.” Zelda whispered, closing her eyes. “I’ve been so worried… I couldn’t bare it if I fell pregnant from… one of them.”

Long, elegant fingers covered hers, and Zelda looked up to find the Great Fairy smiling at her. “You are pleased?” She asked, and Zelda frowned a little.

“I’m… not sure. The father and I – well, we don’t really….”

“It’s Ganondorf Dragmire, isn’t it?” The fairy asked, her voice quite a bit cooler now. “He’s outside, you know.”

“He brought me here.” Zelda looked down. “Yes, its him. I… I need to get my kingdom back. Hyrule needs one of Hylia’s blood on the throne. I – I had no choice but to go to him.”

The Great Fairy nodded wisely. “It is not for me to judge you.” She said quietly. “Wisdom guides you, and I’m sure you have made the right choice.” A glint entered her eye. “That being said… I’m sure this has occurred-” the fairy motioned at Zelda’s belly “-because Dragmire is enjoying everything that comes with the Princess of Hyrule asking for help?”

Zelda snorted a laugh. “Yes, that’s true. He is… quite unscrupulous in getting what he wants. If that is a woman to bed, why not have the Princess?”

The Great Fairy chuckled slightly. “I am glad he has merely chosen that, and not hurt you.”

“Actually…” Zelda said slowly. “I rather agree with that. At first I thought I could not bear to suffer the loss of my dignity in giving myself to him, but now… it is vastly preferable to the alternative.” She frowned then. “Though I don’t know why he is treating me this way now.”

“He knows?”

“About – about yesterday, yes.” Zelda looked down. “He has been… kind. I would not have expected it of him, and yet, Ganondorf has treated me almost gently. I do not know what to make of it.”

“I believe I do.” Said the Great Fairy thoughtfully. “He is Gerudo, and they are a very maternal people. To harm a woman in such a way – they firmly believe that rape is worse than murder. I am sure that while he may be a little conflicted about it, considering who you both are, I doubt he could escape the instinctive sorrow he feels on your behalf.”

Zelda raised a brow. “Sorrow? Goodness me.”

“Maybe that is a strong word.” The fairy allowed. “Pity, then, or sympathy, or compassion, or regret.”

Zelda nodded. “I see.” She highly doubted Ganondorf would feel _compassion_ for her.

The Great Fairy watched her for a moment. “Will you tell him?”

Zelda pressed her fingers a little harder against her belly. “I… think so. Maybe not quite yet, but I will. I don’t think I could handle his talking about a child, whether he decides he is happy about it or not, just yet.”

Nodding, the Great Fairy tilted her head to the side. “You won’t begin to show for another two months, I believe, you do have time to sort through yourself.”

“How do you know?” Zelda asked curiously. “How did you know I was pregnant?”

A mysterious and small smile turned the fairy’s lips. “I am magical, my dear. I can tell.”

Zelda smiled gratefully at her. “Thank you.” She said fervently. “For everything.”

“Don’t worry about it, dearest.” Said the Great Fairy warmly. “We are honoured to have had you here. Aren’t we?” There was bell-like tinkling from the back of the cave.

“I take it from this that you will leave now?” The fairy continued.

Zelda nodded. “Yes, I believe so. Ganondorf may blow a fuse if he has to wait any longer.”

The Great Fairy laughed. “I’m sure he will. In the meantime… I hope you will accept these gifts.”

The tiny fairies came zooming over from the back of the cave, sagging under the weight of quite a few items. Zelda and the Great Fairy stepped out of the pool, and with a wave of her hand, the fairy made the water fly from both their forms, leaving her dry and warm and comfortable.

“Here.”

Zelda took the package from seven flying fairies struggling to stay in the air (smiling at them as she took their burden and they all sighed in relief.) She wasn’t sure why she felt so at ease with her nudity in here – perhaps it was the magic in the cave. Nudity was natural, and so it did not feel awkward here. At any rate, her nudity was soon covered with the first gift, a long flowing gown of almost weightless material, cut in a similar style to the Great Fairy’s. It was pale shimmering cornflower blue, and flowed around her ankles like water.  
“It’s lovely.” She breathed, and all the little fairies chittered excitedly.

“This gown will protect you.” The Great Fairy said. “It has a subtle charm woven into it, and should you need it, it will shield you.”

The next gift was a pair of shoes, perfectly fitting, seemingly made out of silk. They matched the gown precisely.

“These will never wear out.” The Great Fairy informed her.

The last gift was a slender silver necklace with a small pendant shaped like a water drop.

“This will summon a fairy. Press the drop in your hand and call for us with your heart and one will come to heal you should you be hurt.”

“Thank you so much.” Zelda said earnestly, after examining her new gifts. “I can’t thank you enough, I-”

The Great Fairy laid warm hands on her shoulders. “You can thank us by becoming the Queen you were always meant to be.”

For whatever reason, these words filled her with such confidence it almost overwhelmed the anger and disgust at the pit of her belly. Almost, but not quite. Zelda nodded with tears in her eyes.

“I will.” She promised. “I _will_.”

 

* * *

 

 Ganondorf kicked at a stone and watched it roll over and come to rest on a patch of moss. Giving a heavy sigh, he sank back down on the fallen tree he’d been using as a seat and wondered for the millionth time if he ought to go into the cave or not. Zelda had been in there for what felt like a million hundred billion years. Feeling even more bored, he pulled a dagger from his boot and balanced the tip on his finger, trying not to let it fall. At that exact moment, the tinkling chime of fairy voices reached him, and he looked impatiently to the mouth of the cave to see Zelda pushing the vines aside.

He stood up, walking towards her and noticed her attire was markedly different to what she’d worn inside – she was wearing a floaty gown of pale blue that drifted around her form in a way that almost defied gravity. Clearly, the fairies had given it to her. He was forced to admit that she didn’t look bad. Quite the opposite, in fact. It annoyed him then that she looked so lovely and yet the actions of his _own men_ meant he couldn’t touch her now.

Frowning in anger, he stopped in front of her. Zelda looked fairly relaxed, but her face still had that vaguely gaunt appearance to it, as if it were drawn in remembered horror. Her split lip was healed and her black eye vanished, so he assumed the rest of her had been healed as well.

“Feel better?” He inquired, and she smiled very softly.

“Much. Thank you for bringing me here.”

Ganondorf held out his hand again. “Well, then. Ready to go?”

To his surprise, she shook her head. “Oh – no, please not yet. I don’t want to see the camp again yet.”

Ganondorf paused, considering. He supposed she did in fact have every reason not to want to see the camp again – it was a reasonable request. “Alright.” He said, dropping his hand. “What do you want to do?”

The way she looked now, with her golden hair lit by sunlight, her form draped in fairy silk, she reminded him of spun glass – fragile and beautiful, but with a cold hard strength in her centre.

“Walk.” She said decidedly. “Just… around. I don’t want see another moblin again for a while.”

They fell into stride beside one another, and Ganondorf put himself in charge of brushing branches aside for her as they moved deeper into the woods.

Zelda very suddenly turned to him. “Why are you doing this?” She asked. “I mean, you are being… _kind_. I wouldn’t have expected it.”

Ganondorf kept walking, and she scurried to keep up. “I’m not sure.” He finally replied. “Lets put it like this – In my many lives, I’ve seen many of my sisters assaulted. They… they all react to it differently, of course. Some are angry. Some don’t get out of bed for a week. Some have committed suicide, because in my culture it is a worse crime than murder, and they couldn’t live with having suffered such a thing for a second longer. Some…” He trailed off, recollections making his voice rough from the remembered pain. “…some of my sisters wouldn’t touch me again. I would touch their shoulder, or their hand, like normal, and they would shy away. Because I am a man, and what happened to them _tainted_ me in their eyes. That’s why I don’t like it.” He immediately cursed himself; he’d said too much.

Light pressure to his hand made him stop walking and turn to face her. Zelda let go of his hand and smiled.

“The Great Fairy said something similar.” She admitted, and he snorted.

“Then why ask?”

“Because I wanted to hear it from you.” She flashed him another small smile. “I think it’s very interesting how you don’t like me, and yet your upbringing can get around that.”

Ganondorf rolled his eyes as hard as he could. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“So you deny it?”

He had to stifle a grin; she was falling back into her old argumentativeness. It was actually one of his favourite things about her – he enjoyed it when they butted heads about trivial matters.

“Of course.”

Zelda ran forwards so she could stand in front of him, and then she wrinkled her nose and shook her head in disgust. “Oh, how I wish I could understand you.”

He tried out a cautious grin. “You are… in a good mood.”

Her smile widened. “Oh, the Great Fairy was very kind. She helped me sort out some things… and told me something I didn’t know.”

Ganondorf frowned at her. “Like what?”

“Like… that I can expect something soon.” She very clearly dropping hints here. Ganondorf worked furiously to figure out what she meant. Expect something?

“Expect what?” He demanded.

A flash of nervousness flitted over her features. “Oh – nothing. That is, you’ll find out eventually.”

Ganondorf sighed at her cryptic words and sat down, leaning against a tree trunk. “You are irritating, you know.” Zelda sat down beside him, and he shot her a sidelong look. “Won’t you get your gown dirty?”

She raised a brow. “Since when you do care?”

“Good question.” He watched surreptitiously as Zelda leaned up against her own tree, closing her eyes and folding her hands over her belly. She really did look more relaxed than he would have thought. “You’re okay now?”

“I wouldn’t say that.” She whispered, eyes still shut. “Physically, yes, but… it’s just… I don’t want to let myself think about it.”

He nodded, though she couldn’t see it. “What did the fairy tell you?”

The corner of her mouth ticked up slightly. “I shouldn’t have said that, should I?”

“You should not have. Tell me.”

“No.”

“Tell me.”

“ _No_.”

“Infuriating little snip you are.”

“Bossy boots.”

Ganondorf stared. “You did not just call me that.”

Zelda opened her eyes and grinned. “You’ve called me worse things. It’s about time you got a taste of your own medicine.”

“Tell me.” He said again, and she grinned a little wider.

“No.”

Ganondorf very abruptly realised that as much as she was traumatised by her assault, she was also very much enjoying his treading on eggshells around her. She thought now she could speak her mind without any repercussions. He ground his teeth in displeasure; she was right.

“Don’t push your luck.” He growled, and then Zelda surprised him. She moved closer then held out her hand, her fingertips hovering an inch above his. Ganondorf found himself holding his breath, waiting to see if she would touch him.

“Thank you.” She whispered. “Really.” Her fingers trembled for a moment, but then they landed on his and squeezed lightly. “If you were any other person, I would call you sweet.”

He snorted. _“Sweet?”_

She smiled. “That’s pushing it, I know, but… you have been kind.”

“I can’t believe you think I’m _sweet_.” He scoffed. “You must be delusional. No one has called me that in a very long time. That kind of name is reserved for _you_.”

There was a very long silence. Ganondorf stared at Zelda as her mouth dropped open and her eyes got very round.

“You think _I’m_ sweet?” She asked finally, her tone awed, and he kicked himself mentally. _How could I just say – such a stupid thing - ._ Ganondorf looked away from her and said nothing.

Zelda goggled at the Demon King as he leaned back against the tree, clearly regretting his life’s choices. He thought she was sweet. He actually did. This was absolutely staggering. She laid a hand on his arm. “Thank you.”

He scoffed and sank further down towards the ground, obviously annoyed at himself. Zelda grinned at his discomfort and curled back up against her tree. Ganondorf had noted that she was in a better mood, but that was only half true. She was in a conflicted mood. Conflicted, because the horror of what had happened to her was still churning in the pit of her stomach, and yet she was now trying to overcome the onslaught of emotion that came with the revelation that she was with child. Her hand drifted down to gently press over where her child grew, and she considered things. The one overwhelming emotion she felt at the moment (and was happy to feel it, since it blocked out more horrible feelings) was relief that the child was Ganondorf’s. Zelda grinned wryly at that; not too long ago, she’d been fairly repulsed by the very idea, and while she had known that there was a high chance she would have eventually borne his child, it was an unpleasant thought reserved for the future.

Now, Zelda couldn’t possibly have been more relieved – that is, Ganondorf had now bumped himself down the list to the lesser of two evils. She’d spent a fair bit of last night panicking about the possibility of falling pregnant from – from the _event_ , and it was a terrible thought indeed. But the Great Fairy had confirmed she was several weeks along, and that meant that her child would be Gerudo, not Labrynnian (she wasn’t sure if it was biologically possible for a moblin or a wizzrobe to reproduce with a human, but now it no longer mattered, she wasn’t going to think about that particular unpleasantness). She carefully considered her feelings on the subject – thinking about her child was doing a nice job of distracting her from the events of yesterday. Ganondorf had sort of opened up in the last few weeks, had become a touch more pleasant, certainly, and also more open to hearing her ideas and speaking to her in a non insulting manner. Sometimes. The prospect of spending her life with him, while still not her first choice, was no longer quite so terrible as she might once have thought. She just wasn’t sure how he would react to a child. Surely he would be aware of the possibility of pregnancy – and that brought her to a new line of thought.

Zelda sat up. “Do you have any children?”

She very clearly saw Ganondorf’s eyes pop wide before he turned to face her.

_“What?”_

“Do you have any?” Zelda shrugged slightly. “I thought perhaps you might… I mean, you seem to have made quite a habit of spending time with your whores.”

Ganondorf looked rather staggered. “No, I don’t.” He said finally, recovering himself. “I don’t make a habit of breeding Gerudo children with Hylian women. Any woman who slept with me would be provided with a contraceptive tonic. Erlo was in charge of it.”

Zelda frowned. “I wasn’t.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “Do you have something to tell me?” He inquired, a searching gaze settling on her midsection. Zelda immediately lifted both hands to her loose hair, roughly braiding a few strands.

“No.” She said quietly. “I was just curious.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why would you be thinking about _my_ children?”

She shrugged. “Anything and everything is a distraction.” Her voice broke on the last word, because _distraction_ reminded her she _was_ trying to distract herself, trying to keep up perfection. Zelda curled into a ball, burying her face in her knees. “Distract me, please.” She pleaded, and she was aware of Ganondorf shifting a bit closer, though he seemed unwilling to touch her.

“Maybe you should talk about it.” He said slowly. “Get it off your chest.”

Zelda lifted her head to stare at him, tears rolling down her cheeks. “What’s there to talk about? It’s done. It’s happened. It’s over.”

“But its not, is it? It’s on your mind, and will be for some time.”

A sob caught in her throat. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.” She whispered, her voice choked up.

Ganondorf patted her shoulder very briefly and gingerly, and she broke down completely, crying into her hands. “It never is.” He said quietly.

“How can I rule my kingdom like this?” She asked no one in particular.

Ganondorf stared. “What do you mean, how can you?” He inquired, feeling lost.

Zelda sniffled loudly. “I – I’m not pure anymore.” She whispered, her voice dead. “My court – it is bad enough that I have married you, but if they ever found out… about-” She started crying again.

Ganondorf ground his teeth. He kept conflating Zelda with the Gerudo who’d been assaulted in his mind now – he wanted to comfort her how he could, and that made him feel uncomfortable.

He reached out and touched her shoulder lightly again. “Then don’t tell them.”

“But what if they find out?” She whispered. “I couldn’t bear it. They wouldn’t accept me on the throne.”

Once upon a time, he’d had been overjoyed to hear those words – he’d have exploited the very handy loophole she’d had given him and enjoyed destroying her. But now? She was reminding him of his sisters – not to mention the fact that he rather had to keep her if he wanted to keep the Hylian throne. Ganondorf scowled. This was swiftly becoming a very ridiculous situation.

He spent a few minutes constructing something to make her feel better that hopefully wouldn’t label him as _sweet_ , and then spoke. “Listen, Princess.” He began. “They have no choice but to accept you on the throne. What are they going to do? Kick you out and be stuck with _me?_ ”

She laughed and sobbed at the same time and made it sound like a hiccup. “Maybe you have a point.”

To his overwhelming surprise, Zelda then turned around and simply looked at him for a long moment, then almost threw herself into his lap. Shock made him freeze – what was she _doing?_ But as Zelda buried her head in his chest, her fingers digging into his chest plate as she cried, Ganondorf realised what she wanted most was comfort. In the desert… his sisters had always had the other Gerudo to rely on after their assault. Zelda had no one like that… and so, clearly, he was the closest available source of consolation and support. In fact… he realised that now Zelda was dependant on him in more ways than she had been before. Ganondorf found he rather liked that thought.

He wondered for a moment if using her rape as leverage for emotionally manipulating her was more abhorrent than the act itself. He couldn’t quite come up with an answer for the moment, and decided to think about it more later. Ganondorf then decided to _show_ her comfort now – it would both confuse her, which was excellent, and give him some time to work out what in the world he was going to do. So, he leaned back against his tree and carefully wrapped his arms around the princess, pulling her gently closer. Zelda gave a slight shuddering sigh, then went boneless _. It’s almost like_ , he mused, _she’s got me to hold her together physically, so she can forget her exterior and focus on her interior._

Zelda’s long hair was unbound, and as the sunlight that poured through the leaves dappled points of shimmering gold on her silken strands, Ganondorf amused himself by running his fingers through her hair and braiding the ends of it – being past her waist, it was fairly easy to do so without bothering her. After a little while, Zelda’s tears slowed and she shifted slightly, revealing her profile. She had her eyes closed, and so he took the opportunity to study her physiognomy carefully, tracing the contours of her fine-boned features intently. She really was exquisitely beautiful – most Zelda’s were, of course. Ganondorf thought for a moment and actually couldn’t come up with a Zelda who had been physically unattractive. He put this down to her Goddess blood – Hylia’s luminosity shone through into her mortal form.

She looked so small. A tiny, delicate little butterfly made from spun glass who’d break with the slightest touch. A fragile soap bubble, easily popped. A slim, dainty young woman who looked as though she should be an innocent, but one who carried an immense weight on her shoulders. Ganondorf frowned again. Zelda’s looks hid her inner strength, he knew that. There were many, many beings much more physically imposing then her, and he’d broken them all. Zelda, while clearly afraid of him, had a clear sense of her duty, and was not afraid to challenge him on behalf of her beliefs. As much as he disliked her, he admired her for that. There weren’t many who could stand up to him.

And now… she was his. Wholly and completely. Ganondorf stared at her, his _wife_ , and realised that maybe he did want her. Physically, anyway. She might be easy on the eyes and he might very much enjoy bedding her (which was both surprising and not surprising in itself), but he was leaving her alive so he could successfully rule Hyrule. That was it. That was _all_ of it. Still, he couldn’t help the niggling suspicion in the back of his mind that in fact, it may not be entirely it after all. Ganondorf made a firm resolution to ignore this suspicion as he shifted slightly, drawing his knees up to create more of a chair for Zelda to curl up in. He marvelled at the fact she was willing to touch him. While it was true that not all of his sisters had reacted in such negative ways, he was thoroughly surprised that Zelda was willing to touch his hand, let alone sit in his lap. Maybe she wasn’t as scared of him as he’d thought. That was also an unwelcome thought – where had he gone wrong?

Eventually, he decided he would, in fact, be nice to her for now. At least until he figured out exactly where the boundaries lay.

Zelda’s eyes fluttered open, and she gave him a rather sleepy smile.

“It’s time to go back, I think.” Ganondorf said, concealing a grin when she grimaced. “We were supposed to be moving further into Lanayru yesterday, but it got postponed. For obvious reasons. I need to speak to my generals, let them know we won’t be moving for a-”

Zelda lifted her head. “Why won’t we be moving?”

He stared at her for a long moment. “Well, I-”

“I’ll be fine.” Zelda said quietly. “I just want to forget about it. I can’t do that if I’m stuck wallowing in my own misery.”

“You’re sure?”

She nodded. “Positive. I want to leave that campsite, I want to move on with my life as soon as possible.”

He absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair again. “Alright. We’ll go back now so I can speak with my generals, and we’ll leave first thing in the morning. We’re only four days ride from Hyrule Castle anyway.”

Zelda smiled up at him, though she did look nervous. “Thank you.”

Ganondorf stood up, still cradling her to his chest, then called his magic and warped them both back into his tent. He set Zelda on her feet, and while her hands were still in his, he asked “You’re sure you want to leave immediately? We can wait.”

She nodded, chin set in determination. “I’m positive. Every day I waste wallowing in self pity is another day my uncle is on the throne.”

Ganondorf nodded. “It’s your choice.”

Zelda nodded and stepped back, pulling her hands from his and placing them behind her back. “Thank you.” She said softly, and he turned and left the tent.

 

* * *

 

Tiber was nervous. Despite a confusing two days during which his surveillance reported that Dragmire’s forces were just _sitting_ there on the border of Lanayru, the general consensus was that he was on the move again. Specifically, the Demon King’s forces were _visible from the castle battlements_. The castle was teeming with essentially the entire Hylian military, stocking supplies and setting up their weapons in preparation for the upcoming battle. It would most likely be tomorrow – it appeared Dragmire’s forces had set up camp for the night. It was getting dark, and Tiber’s paranoia was only increasing.

Earlier that day, Zelda, the conniving little madam, had – together with the Demon King – approached the castle and asked to speak without arms. Dragmire was very obviously not happy about this, and Tiber had very sensibly, in his opinion, refused the request. Zelda hadn’t liked this, and had tried out her world famous impassioned pleading, batting those big blue eyes and making everyone fall under her spell. Tiber could tell it would have worked on most of the court too, if it weren’t for the gargantuan Gerudo standing beside her, death glaring everyone in sight. It was blatantly obvious that Zelda and Dragmire were clashing over what course of action should be taken; she was a pacifist, always had been, and he looked as though he’d happily cut down everyone in the castle and wade through the blood to his crown. Dragmire would start to say something that Zelda would object to, and then they’d argue for a moment or two, and the Zelda would say something and Dragmire would immediately interrupt. 

Tiber hadn’t spoken to them; that would be suicide, but he’d peeked through the windows and listened in as one of his senior advisors heard to his niece’s request, plainly shaking in his boots as he did so.

Now, Tiber was pacing up and down in his bedchamber, reluctant to go to sleep, for when he woke up, there was every chance Dragmire would have either started attacking the castle or was just about to. Neither option sounded appealing. Despite his worries, Tiber did eventually pass out on his bed, dreading what the morrow would bring.


	9. To Capture the Hylian Throne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time to attack Hyrule Castle has come, and Zelda and Ganondorf butt heads more frequently than ever.

“Your Majesty!”

Tiber turned to face the group of nobles who’d just come into the throne room. They couldn’t leave to go home, for the castle was now on lockdown as Dragmire’s army circled the walls.

 _“What?”_ He snapped.

“We don’t understand how the princess is with Dragmire.” Asked one of them, an aging duke. Tiber wished the man would just off and die.

“She _died_.” Put in another earl. “We all attended her funeral. Do you know…?”

Tiber gritted his teeth, but then a flash of insight hit him, and he knew how to pin this entire thing on Zelda’s shoulders.

“Obviously she’s faked her death.” He said slowly, as if he were just realising it. “Zelda has – for whatever reason – decided to join forces with Dragmire so she can rule Hyrule herself.”

“But why would Dragmire agree with that?” Cut in someone else. “We’ve all heard the legends. Why would Power agree to Wisdom’s demands?”

Tiber shrugged. “Who knows? But what I do know is that, regrettably, Princess Zelda must be declared an enemy of the state. She’s committed treason with this reprehensible act, and she and her little pet warlord _must not_ be permitted to take the castle.”

There was a hum of agreement, and then the doors flew open and a soldier came tearing in.

“Your Majesty!” He gasped out. “Dragmire’s forces – they’re at the top of the hill-”

Tiber immediately strode forwards. “What?”

“This way, your Majesty-” Said the soldier. “You can see them from the balcony-”

Tiber and most of his advisors crammed themselves onto the balcony, where on the hill in the distance you could in fact see Dragmire’s army positioning themselves along the crest, evidently preparing themselves for a charge. They were far enough away that the arrows of the archers would fall short, but close enough that he could clearly see Dragmire on his black stallion at the forefront of the army, Zelda astride the gleaming white steed at his side. Tiber gritted his teeth at the sight.

 _“You!”_ He snapped, turning to the soldier who’d come to tell him of Dragmire’s approach. “Take yourself to the northern battlements and tell the squadron leaders that the trebuchets are to begin firing on the Demon King the instant his army begins to move.”

The soldier nodded and bowed, then dashed out of the room.

“Where are the generals now?” Tiber demanded to the room at large. “The war room still? Send forth the orders. Princess Zelda is a traitor and must be taken down for the good of the kingdom. Protect the castle at all costs; we _must_ drive Dragmire off.”

There was a flurry of motion behind him as people ran to do his bidding and convey his orders, and Tiber set his jaw as he headed towards his generals. He’d cut Zelda down before she set foot in the castle grounds or die trying.

 

* * *

 

Zelda gritted her teeth. Ganondorf was having far too much fun with this. She’d insisted on sending a messenger over to give her uncle one last chance to surrender, but it hadn’t worked, and now she was on her horse, sitting just outside the walls of Castle Town, ensconced in a small grove of trees. She disliked the grove – it was too similar to the one her attackers had dragged her to. It made her feel nervous to be standing there alone, and the fact that she knew that was ridiculous and irrational was making her more annoyed with herself. All in all, waiting there with Uuldvar was not fun.

She could hear the clash of steel and screams of men, the sounds of battle echoing over the walls. Zelda could only hope that Ganondorf’s troops were attacking the Hylian army, and that the innocent civilians had had the good sense to either get out of Castle Town or lock themselves in their houses. Shifting impatiently in her saddle, she wondered what was _happening_. Ganondorf had insisted she stay here while the initial battle commenced, but really, she wouldn’t put it past him to just leave her there for the whole thing and ‘accidentally’ forget to come and get her when – _if_ – the battle was won.

Zelda had no doubt he’d enjoy proclaiming himself King and leaving her as an afterthought. Therefore, she had to get into the castle. She knew that by herself she couldn’t do much… but if she had her lyre… Zelda quietly turned Uuldvar to the left and galloped off down the hill; this would require a large circle to be executed. Some of the fighting was spilling out the gates, and there was a currently enormous battle going on down on the fields to the right of the castle, where the Hylian soldiers had placed themselves to prevent a large portion of Ganondorf’s troops from getting into Castle Town and the castle itself. Strangely enough, the rear side of the castle was pretty much empty, though she supposed that was because Ganondorf had hit the castle from the front, and that’s where everyone’s efforts were concentrated.

Still, she rode in a wide circle, unwilling to come too close to the castle in case she was spotted. When she was a child, she’d made a habit of exploring the castle and the surrounding grounds extensively. On one of these explorations, she’d found that by running her hands over a gargoyle that stood inside the library it pulled its whole head down when you tugged hard enough the gargoyle’s nose horn, and _that_ , interestingly enough, made a tunnel open up in the castle. She’d only discovered it because she’d been reading a book in which a girl brought one of the stone monsters to life by finding its heart, and that had made her begin testing all the gargoyles in the castle. She hadn’t found any live ones, but she’d found a tunnel that she promptly decided to explore. Being a curious child thirsty for knowledge, Zelda had prepared herself properly for the expedition. She’d taken a knapsack of food and water, a map of the castle, some emergency candles and a notebook to write down what she discovered. Then, oil lamp in hand, she’d ventured down into the tunnel; she’d discovered that it came out in the field outside of the castle.

Zelda had used it for years as a method of leaving the castle whenever she wished to take a walk outside its walls without being bothered by such things as chaperons and guards. It had also been her route of escape after the assassination attempt, and now, it was her ticket into the castle and to her lyre.

The secret tunnel (well, she assumed it was secret, for in all the years of using it she’d never come across anyone else using it) came out in a small stream, beneath the waterfall. Zelda galloped there as fast as she could persuade Uuldvar to go, then slid off the horse. Recognising that she might not be back out here for a while, she hurriedly unsaddled the gelding, and then flicked him on the rump with her reins; watching him canter off down into the trees, she felt a surge of regret – he was a lovely horse, and she hoped she’d find him again.

Having left the saddle and bridle tucked under a bush, Zelda clambered down into the creek bed and hopped over the stones towards the waterfall. It wasn’t huge – she had to duck to pass beneath it and enter the tunnel within. Her urgency led her to ignore the safe route through the waterfall, and so she got drenched, her hair lying soaked down her back, water dripping off her plate amour in rivulets as she entered the tunnel, straightened out of her hunched crouch, then took off, running down the tunnel as fast as she could. Not knowing what was going on in the castle was making her nervous.

As expected, the library was deserted, but she could hear the sounds of fighting going on in the distance. Zelda stood still for a few moments, biting her lips, wondering if she could do this. Now, with the whole castle in confusion and most of the guards and soldiers outside defending themselves from Ganondorf, she had a good chance of making it to her lyre. She technically could have gotten into the castle before, but with the amount of guards and servants that roamed the halls? She’d never had made it. Zelda ran through the shelves to the closest door, then very cautiously opened it enough to peek through to the corridor beyond, only to hear a bloodcurdling yell and see a Hylian soldier go charging up the hall pursuing on of Ganondorf’s monsters. Zelda ducked back into the library and froze, eyes wide. Ganondorf’s army was inside the castle. They’d gotten through the gates. _Okay_ , she thought to herself. _That makes things considerably harder_.

Chewing hard on her lip, she dashed for another door, opening it up as she said a prayer and took off at full sprint, desperate to get to where her lyre was kept. Horror flowed through her at the thought of her uncle maybe having moved it or locked it away, but she pushed the thought out of her mind. If she couldn’t get to her lyre, she’d have no choice but to try and make it back to the library and hide out in the tunnels. After a rather harrowing journey during which she constantly had to duck and hide and changer her route as more and more of Ganondorf’s army poured through the halls, the corridors becoming bloody battlefields, she was nearly where she needed to be.

Finally, she could see the corridor that lead into the place where the lyre was kept.

Zelda grinned to herself, and then started towards the door.

 

* * *

 

 Tiber clenched his fingers on the hilt of his blade, swallowing nervously. He and his key ministers and members of court had barricaded themselves within the throne room, and poised at every door was a small squad of soldiers, ready to defend their king.

From outside the sound of battle and death echoed, and Tiber found himself flinching at the screams of dying men and the screeching of clashing steel. And then he heard laughter.

Everyone in the room looked at each other nervously; the person laughing was clearly a man, clearly someone utterly confident in their abilities – someone sure they were going to come out on top.

At the far end of the hall, Tiber barely had time to react as the doors exploded, crackling bolts of magic fizzing around the newly formed hole in the wall – and then the Demon King stepped forth, flinging out a hand that crackled with magic to send every soldier into the room flying into the wall. Those that weren’t instantly knocked out groaned and splayed out on the floor, not one of them able to stand and fight.

Tiber stepped down from the dais, striding forwards and frowning as the nobles all faded back to stand behind him, rather than with him as he’d expected. _Cowardly sods._

 The King of all Evil strolled forwards, looking for all the world as though he were attending as casual picnic; that is, a picnic that called for battle-scarred armour splattered in blood.

Tiber swallowed hard as everyone looked to him. Suddenly, being King was looking rather unappealing.

“What do you want, Dragmire?” He asked, trying to make his voice bold.

Dragmire chuckled slightly and – to everyone’s surprise – sent his swords away. Tiber bristled slightly – clearly, Dragmire didn’t think they were enough of a threat to remain armed. Then, Tiber kind of wished he’d kept them out, for Dragmire suddenly lifted his hand, and smoky chains of black shadow wrapped around the wrists and ankles of everyone in the room, yanking them down to kneel before him. Tiber’s blade clattered to the floor and he swore savagely in his head, tugging at the chains to no avail.

“I’d have thought it was obvious.” Began the Demon King, taking a slow, measured step forwards. “I want my crown.”

“You’re already wearing one.” Tiber spat, feeling like a cornered rat as he tugged fruitlessly at his chains.

“True.” The monstrous Gerudo flashed a fanged grin. “But they’d look so much better in a pair, don’t you agree?”

Tiber glowered, and was about to retaliate when abruptly, a glowing circle appeared in the centre of the room, strange glyphs whirling around the edges, and then Zelda stepped out of it – holding the Goddess harp.

“How did _you_ get into the castle?!” Snapped Dragmire, looking decidedly pissed off.

Zelda narrowed her eyes at him. “You think I wouldn’t know how to get into my own castle?”

That only made him look angrier, and then Zelda changed the subject while Tiber and his advisors looked on, nervously bemused.

“I should have known you’d sneak in here to take all the glory for yourself.” She said with a hard glare. “We had an _agreement_.”

Dragmire merely shrugged. “What can I say-” He said, sounding bored with the direction the conversation had taken. “-I _am_ the Demon King. Lying’s part of the job description.”

Zelda rolled her eyes, then turned to face him. Tiber lifted his chin at the challenge clear in her eyes.

“Hello Uncle.” She said simply, and then a very peculiar bitter sort of smile spread over her face. “Did you miss me?”

“No doubt I’d have missed you more if you hadn’t brought the Demon King to my castle.”

Zelda’s smile faded and her voice went hard. “I hope you realise, Uncle, that every thing that happens today, every injury, every death – it’s on you. It’s all on your head.”

Tiber glared. “ _You_ went to the Demon King.”

“ _You_ forced my hand.” Zelda said clearly. “Did you think that I wouldn’t retaliate after you tried to have me assassinated?”

There were shocked gasps from those who were unaware of the plot, and Tiber gritted his teeth. “You’re not fit to rule.” He said tightly. “You’ve proved that by allying yourself with the Demon King. Have you no shame, girl?”

Dragmire looked amused as he waited for Zelda’s reply.

“Have _I?”_ Zelda looked simply furious. “I’m not the one who tried to murder _me_ , the _rightful_ heir to the throne. You are only regent, Uncle. You are not what this land needs.”

Tiber pulled out his trump card. “You’re too young.” He sneered. “You’re not yet twenty-one. Whether or not today I win or lose, you still can’t take the throne.”

Instead of answering, Zelda turned to Dragmire and gave him the single most unimpressed and accusatory look he’d ever seen. Dragmire just shrugged.

“She won’t rule.” The Demon King said. “ _I_ will.”

There was silence for a very long moment, and Tiber watched Zelda staring at Dragmire suspiciously. Clearly, they might be on the same side for the moment, but they certainly didn’t trust each other. It was obvious that she was using him to get her crown, and he was using her to do the same. Tiber wondered if he could use this to his advantage somehow.

“So you’re both going for the same crown?” He inquired politely. “How’s that going to work? When does this alliance dissolve into war?”

Zelda looked like she’d bitten into a lemon, her face was so sour. “It doesn’t.” She then shot a very suspicious look at the Demon King. “At least, I hope it doesn’t.”

Dragmire only chuckled. “I make no promises, Princess.”

Tiber grinned to himself – he’d successfully made them doubt their already shaky alliance more. _Perfect_.

“No, no, do tell.” He continued, eager to see them both discomforted further. “I’m so fascinated to hear how you think this will work.”

“I should think it simple.” Said Dragmire in a bored tone. “If you don’t understand, that’s not my problem.”

Tiber’s smile faded. With one small sentence, he’d been made to look a fool.

“So you expect me to what? Surrender? Just give up without a fight?” He asked flatly, snapping the words.

“That would be preferable.” Said Zelda brightly.

“I don’t know about that.” Dragmire said under his breath and Tiber glared.

Zelda bit her lip. Now that the moment was here, she wasn’t exactly sure what was going to happen next. Logically, Tiber and anyone who was in cahoots with him or resisted the takeover would be placed in the dungeons… but Ganondorf was such a loose cannon, he could slaughter the whole room on a whim. He was unpredictable, and that made him dangerous.

She watched very suspiciously as Ganondorf advanced upon her uncle.

“What are you doing?” She asked sharply, moving to catch up.

Ganondorf rolled his eyes. “I’m taking what’s rightfully mine.” He growled, snatching the crown from Tiber’s head.

 _“Yours?”_ Snapped Zelda angrily. “You forget who is the heir to the throne.”

Ganondorf’s lips lifted off his teeth and he glowered at her, and then before she fully registered enough what he was doing, he’d fisted his hand in Tiber’s hair, loosened a blade from his side and plunged it into her uncle’s throat.

Zelda gasped and started forwards, then stopped and stared in shock as Tiber gurgled over the blood pouring from his neck, and then Ganondorf dropped the blade and put his fingers to the wound and proceeded to _tear Tiber’s head off._

Zelda whimpered in distress as her uncle’s body slumped to the floor – _oh Goddesses I can see his spine_ – and clutched her lyre like a shield as Ganondorf lifted the severed head higher, triumph glinting in his golden eyes.

“What-” She had to pause and swallow her nausea. “Why did you-”

Ganondorf merely grinned at her, then headed over to the door that led onto the balcony which overlooked the courtyard where the brunt of the fighting was taking place.

Zelda scurried after him, ignoring for the moment the petrified nobles still chained to the floor by shadow, and reached Ganondorf’s side just as he reached the balcony and lifted a hand, a pulse of magic leaving his fingers and exploding in a horrific boom and shower of electric bolts – his attention grabber worked as the fight paused in order for all to gaze up at him. Zelda nearly rolled her eyes at his overly dramatic display, and then he held Tiber’s severed head high for all to see. Zelda sidled sideways a fraction to avoid the drips.

 _“Your King is dead!”_ Ganondorf bellowed at the Hylians, and Zelda pursed her lips. _So this is how he’s going to play it?_ Well, he’d stopped the fighting (mostly) so she wasn’t going to complain. _Yet_.

_“You will all bow before me!”_

“I’ll bow for the Princess!” Someone shouted back, to Ganondorf’s extreme displeasure.

Zelda took a second to flick a smug grin in the Demon King’s direction before she stepped forwards, splaying her fingers on the balcony railing.

“As I hope you all will!” She called, determined to not shout like certain _vulgar_ individuals she knew, but she raised her voice so all could hear. “My uncle has committed treason and betrayed Hyrule, and we have all suffered the consequences of it. I hope now we can rebuild our kingdom, stronger than before.”

“But… what about the Demon King!” Someone else shouted, and Zelda snuck a look at Ganondorf, who now looked amused.

“I won’t deny that this situation is… complicated.” She called back. “But this is a step towards peace, and I hope you will all take that step with me.”

“Ever the diplomat.” Ganondorf murmured sarcastically, and then he stepped forwards and unceremoniously shoved her backwards.

“This fight is over.” He announced. “Go back to your homes and await your orders.” He said something else in the tongue of his monsters then, and Zelda assumed he’d repeated his order, because the assembled troops on both sides began to very suspiciously put away their blades and begin examining the bodies, piling up the corpses and giving aid to the injured.

Ganondorf was still holding Tiber’s head, and he casually tossed it to the floor so it rolled to a stop by the body. Zelda grimaced at the sight; how was Ganondorf able to kill so casually? She didn’t understand.

She stared in shock as he summoned his swords and started towards the nobles still chained to the floor, and then hurried to put herself in his path, holding out her hands as if to stop him.

“What are you doing?” She demanded.

Ganondorf rolled his eyes. “What do you think?”

“You aren’t going to kill anyone.” Zelda said firmly.

Ganondorf raised a brow. “Oh?”

“No.” She said even more firmly. “They’ll go to the dungeons, where they will _stay_ until they stand trial for treason. I don’t want you to kill them yourself. If this is going to work, we must show the people we can _both_ behave like civilised leaders.”

Ganondorf still looked sceptical, and Zelda sighed.

“Look, we don’t know how many of them were in on this with my uncle. Some may be innocent, and I won’t let you kill any more innocent people then you already have.”

He scoffed. “Foolish girl. These men might have had a hand in your death! You want to let them live?”

“The key word being _might_.” Zelda enunciated slowly for his better understanding. “Nothing is proven, and so no one will die. Yet.”

Ganondorf narrowed his eyes. “You are _infuriating_.”

“So you’ve said.”

He very abruptly turned on his heel then. “Fine. Do what you want.” He called over his shoulder. “ _I’ve_ got start examining my new castle.”

Zelda rolled her eyes at the glee in his tone, and then turned to the captive nobles once he left the room. She immediately saw the problem – how was she supposed to free them from Ganondorf’s bonds?

“Thank you Princess.” Gasped an earl, and then the floodgates opened as these men, who’d fully expected that they were going to die, thanked her over and over for their lives.

“Calm yourselves, please.” She pleaded, then moved forward to inspect the chains holding them down. “I must get you out of those.”

She spent what felt like forever trying to get the spell to break, but the chains held fast – her lyre couldn’t break through the enchanted chains.

“I’m… going to have to go and find the King.” She said slowly, noting the looks of fear on their faces.

“But… he might kill us.”

“I will try my utmost to make sure he doesn’t.” She promised. “But I can’t break these chains by myself. Your only alternative is staying chained up until you starve, because knowing the Demon King… he’d probably leave you there.”

With that, Zelda strummed a few notes and opened a portal, leaving the stricken men alone to deal with what was happening to them.

It took her some time, but she eventually found him down in the courtyard discussing something with one of his generals. Zelda waited until he was done, and then headed over to catch his attention.

Ganondorf raised a brow at her. “What?”

Zelda ground her teeth before speaking. “Would you be so kind as to release the enchantment you have on the nobles in the throne room? I wish to take them to the dungeons.”

He grinned slowly. “So your little harp can’t break those chains? That’s interesting.”

Zelda foresaw great danger in that sentence. “I don’t know about that.” She said cautiously. “I haven’t tried everything yet. I just know it’d be much faster if you did it.”

He smirked harder. “And make things easier for you? Not a chance.”

He turned away then, and Zelda squeezed her eyes shut briefly as she counted to ten to calm her frazzled nerves. She then darted after him, cutting him off before he vanished back into the castle.

“Wait!” She gave him her best pleading look. “Please release them?”

He started to say no, but then a devious expression crossed his features, and he leaned down. “If I do.” He purred. “What will you give me?”

Zelda gritted her teeth and prepared herself. “What… do you want?” She asked cautiously.

Ganondorf grinned at her, all pointed teeth and malicious promise. “I want you to swear you’re not going to interfere.”

Zelda sighed. “You know I can’t agree to that without knowing all your intentions.”

He shrugged and sneered at her. “Oh, that’s too bad. I guess your _precious_ nobles can stay there, because I just _know_ you’re going to be a pain in my arse. I mean, what next? I ask, because you’ve pretty much talked over all of my attempts to handle things. I presume you’ll continue like this once everything has settled down, hmm?”

“Not at all.” Zelda replied with grim displeasure. “After all, I’m not twenty one yet. I cannot legally rule, married to you or not. I’m afraid you get to enjoy a few months of being King whilst I am stuck as Princess.”

Ganondorf preened. “Excellent. It’s just as it should be.”

Zelda shrugged slightly. “To you, maybe. I’m not that pleased. Now will you please release them? I’ll stop asking if you do.”

He rolled his eyes and lifted a hand that glowed with magic. “Fine. Now hurry up before they run away from you.”

“Thank you.” She called hurriedly as she called forth a portal and jumped into the throne room, making the nobles freeze on their way to the door.

“Princess…” Began one.

“Now surely you don’t think you can _leave_.” She said calmly, advancing on the group. They all looked rather nervous.

“I don’t know if any of you had anything to do with my uncle’s treason.” Zelda continued firmly. “You will all go to the dungeons, where you will await trial.”

“Princess, Please…” Pleaded Lord Ernin. “The Demon King….”

“Won’t have anything to do with you, if I have anything to say about.” She sighed at their looks of dismay. “Look. I can’t trust any of you after the actions of my uncle, surely you can see that? I will do everything in my power to ensure you all remain safe until your trial.”

The silence felt very stiff and awkward, so Zelda strummed a few notes on her harp, opening a portal to the dungeons. “Please.” She said softly. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

One by one, the nobles shuffled their way into the dungeons, and once they were locked in their cells, Zelda went back to the throne room because of it’s excellent view of the courtyard; she wanted to see if Ganondorf was still out there without actually having to speak to him. She wandered out onto the balcony and looked over the edge – several of the Hylian soldiers saw her and turned to watch as she looked over them all; Ganondorf wasn’t there, so she turned to go back inside. She left the throne room and wandered down towards the Great Hall – maybe Ganondorf was there. Wait. She ought to speak to the Hylian military leaders.

Decided, she opened a portal back down to the courtyard and headed towards the barracks – once there, she found many of the soldiers milling around listening to their commanding officers standing in a circle arguing about what was to be done. From what she gathered, some were in favour of picking up the fight again, and some were extremely confused about what was happening and wanted to stay put. Zelda didn’t blame them.

As she approached, they all turned to stare, looking utterly befuddled.

“Princess… Zelda?” Asked one, looking stupefied. “You really are alive?”

“I am.” She said, moving closer.

“But… you died.” Said one, looking amazed.

“It’s a long story, and one I will explain fully later, but for now, let us suffice to say that my uncle let power go to his head. He wanted to be King… and he attempted to have me assassinated.”

There were some shocked gasps at this, and the soldiers close enough to hear her words began whispering furiously amongst themselves, spreading the story nicely.

“But… the Demon King?” Inquired somebody else, and Zelda bowed her head.

“It was the only way.” She said quietly. “Hyrule is too powerful if I were on my own – my uncle, if he had known where I was, wouldn’t have lasted very long.”

“So…” One of the captains was starting to look suspicious. “The Demon King is going to go away…?”

Zelda sighed. “Unfortunately not. Part of him agreeing to help me was the condition… that he is King.”

There was a heavy silence, and as she lifted her head enough to see their faces, she asked herself, was it worth it? She might have her Kingdom back, sort of, but to actually reveal _how_ she had achieved this… it would be hard.

“…King? You mean… Dragmire will rule us? Not you?”

“No.” She said sharply. “Well, I’m sure _he’d_ like that, but no. We will rule together.”

The Captain pursed his lips. “Oh.”

Zelda nodded, took as deep breath and continued. “As King… _and_ Queen.”

There was the horrified looks she’d been waiting for.

“You’re going to _marry_ him?” Asked a lieutenant blankly. “The Demon King?”

Zelda laughed bleakly. “We are already married. Do you think I could let invade without having some guarantee that he would hold to his word? Not that I’m entirely sure he will, but even so.”

“Can’t you kill him?” Whispered someone.

Zelda smiled. “With what? Unless you know where the hero of Courage and the master sword are, I doubt we’ll get very far. He’s nigh on indestructible without it.”

There was a longer silence. “So… that’s it.” Said another lieutenant, looking angry. “You’ve served us all up on a silver platter to Dragmire?”

Zelda took a step forwards, anger flashing over her skin. “Now you listen here.” She snarled through gritted teeth. “Do you think I’m enjoying this? Do you _honestly_ think this is fun for me? What were my options? The hero is gone. I have no magic without the Goddess Harp, which I was separated from when my uncle tried to _murder_ me. I had no choice! What were _your_ options? Had I let myself be killed or simply started a new life for myself in Labrynna or Calatia or Din knows where, _Hyrule would still be dying!”_ She nearly shouted the last words. “Did you not know that? Hyrule requires Hylia’s blood! Without it, the land shrivels and dies! Can’t you _see_ that? If I had not done what I did, you would be stuck with an incompetent ruler and a land on its last leg!” Zelda paused, breathing hard. “Not to mention, when I met with Ganondorf Dragmire for the first time, he was _already_ planning his invasion! Had I not gone to him, he would be King anyway! My uncle could not have stopped him.” She scowled, getting her breathing under control. “And trust me.” She continued, calmer now. “You would not like what he’d had in store for you.”

The Hylians looked a little shaken now. “I-I’m sorry, Princess.” Stuttered the man who’d prompted her outburst. “I didn’t know…”

“It’s perfectly alright.” She said icily. “I just hope I can prevent anymore death. Now General, the King’s forces might try to provoke you in hopes of starting a fight. I want to you drum it into all your men that they are not to retaliate under _any_ circumstances.”

The general nodded. “Of course, your-” He paused. “Your Highness or your Majesty?”

“Unfortunately.” Zelda said stiffly. “Dragmire refused to wait until I turned twenty one to invade. This means that for the next few months, he rules as sole King. I will have very limited power until my birthday, when I can then become Queen.”

“That’s – ridiculous.” Said a lieutenant.

“It’s the law.” Zelda said with a sigh.

“You could ask the King to change it.”

Zelda grimaced. “I could, but I doubt he will. He’s quite looking forward to being sole ruler of Hyrule for now.”

“Will he… harm us, your Highness?” Shouted someone tentatively from the crowd of soldiers.

“He won’t if I have anything to do with it.” She said grimly. “Just… please. Don’t go picking fights with Dragmire’s monsters. It isn’t worth your life.”

“Will his troops stay here, Princess?”

“I hope not.” She said with a frown. “I have to talk to him about it.”

The general nodded. “We will give the orders then. Thank you, Princess.”

Zelda inclined her head. “Good. I should get going and prevent whatever disaster the Demon King is cooking up now.”

She went back to the castle while wondering where Ganondorf was, and then sighed in disgust at the prospect of having to traipse all over the castle to find him, and stood for a moment, thinking. Her hand absentmindedly went to her belly, and with a jolt of fear she realised she’d been sprinting all over the castle without a single thought for the child she carried. Would her exertion have harmed her baby? She wasn’t sure, and resolved to go to the library to research it at her earliest opportunity. Zelda was halfway through the Great Hall as she made a beeline for the library when she caught sight of gold shimmering on the floor. The closer she got, the lower her stomach sank down to her toes – it was the crown her uncle had been wearing.

Her father’s crown.

Walking towards it, Zelda stopped in her tracks, a gasp in her throat as she realised the fine gold had been torn in half like paper. _No. He didn’t. When did Ganondorf…?_ Moving slowly forwards like she was in a trance, Zelda scooped up the jagged broken halves of the crown and stared at it, anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach. _How dare he._

Ganondorf grinned to himself as he threw back the curtains in the King’s suite, letting sunlight flood the room as he stepped out onto the balcony to take in the Kingdom that now belonged to him.

The moment was sweet until the door flew open behind him, revealing a rather wrathful looking princess.

“Why did you break this?” Zelda demanded by way of greeting, advancing into the room with Tiber’s broken crown in her hands.

Ganondorf frowned for a moment before replying. Why was she upset about _that_ , of all things? “I thought it was rather symbolic.” He waved a hand at her. “You know, the end of his rule, the beginning of mine.”

He honestly thought she was going to explode.

“Do you realise what you’ve done?” She cried. “This is a royal heirloom you can trace back for centuries! It is the crown traditionally worn by all the King’s of Hyrule, and ought to be worn by all future one’s as well! It’s over eight hundred years old and _you broke it?”_

So Zelda was fairly angry about this. Still, Ganondorf could not have cared less for the Hylian artefact. He’d probably have told her to shut up in a more violent fashion, but he was in too good a mood at the moment to bother.

“Who cares?” He said carelessly, turning back around to admire the view, ignoring the spluttering going on behind him.

Before Zelda could get her next words out, he turned and spoke, interrupting the lecture he’d no doubt been going to receive.

“What’s the steward’s name?”

Zelda looked taken aback. “The steward? Moriobi – wait. Why?”

“I want all the servants, everyone in the great hall in half an hour.” He said over his shoulder, striding towards the door in order to find this ‘Moriobi’.

Zelda chased after him. “What? Why?”

Ganondorf lifted a brow, doing his best to imply he thought she was stupid. “So I can tell them how things are going to be around here from now on.”

The princess put her hands on her hips. “Excuse me?” She said through gritted teeth. “I think you’ll find that before you make a _single_ change, you’ll be running it past _me_ first.”

He rolled his eyes, and her expression turned pleading.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” Zelda said, clasping her hands and taking a step forwards. “Sit. Please?”

Ganondorf considered things. It’d get her off his back, at least. “Very well.” He said gruffly, and made his way over to the desk, thought the better of it, and went to sit on the bed instead. He made a face when it groaned and sagged alarmingly. “Let’s discuss what’s going to happen. First port of call, I think, is to replace everything in this room with furnishings I _won’t_ break.”

A wide smile spread across her face as Zelda moved across the room and sat down in front of him, drawing her knees up and resting her chin there, which made her look far more innocent than she was. “I think that can be arranged.”

He leaned back against the headboard, shoving some cushions out of the way and began unbuckling his vambraces, wanting the steel talons off his fingers. “I want at least one proper sized chair in all the rooms I’ll frequent while we’re at it.”

“My steward is very efficient.” Zelda assured him. “I’m sure there’ll be furniture to accommodate you in no time.”

He nodded, setting his vambraces to the side and piling the talons on top, flexing his now bare wrists. “Now. We should discuss what’s actually going to happen now that I’m King, and you are – or will be – my Queen.”

Zelda nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”


End file.
